Household disposal of pharmaceuticals and perception of risk to the environment.

The presence of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment has become a cause for increasing concern in recent years. A wide range of pharmaceuticals have been discovered in fresh and marine waters and it has recently been shown that even in small quantities these compounds have the potential to cause harm to aquatic life. Their main pathway into the environment is through household use, and the disposal of unused or expired pharmaceuticals as manufacture is well-regulated. This work aimed to investigate the link between risk perception and household disposal. A survey was carried out, and around 400 householders, predominantly from the South-East of England, were interviewed. Information on when and how they disposed of unfinished pharmaceuticals was gathered. These responses were cross referenced with data on personal information and attitudes in order to determine the factors affecting the methods of disposal that are chosen. Although a link between perception of risk and the choice of disposal methods was not proved, findings demonstrated that perceived environmental awareness had an impact on the method of disposal chosen.