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 What Drugs Can Be Flushed into a Septic Tank - Septic Tank Maintenance and Protection Advice
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Are there some drugs or medications that are safe to dispose-of by flushing them down the toilet or pouring them down a sink and into a private septic system? What unwanted or old drugs may damage the septic tank or leach fields?
This document explains how to extend the life of the septic system by being careful about what goes into it.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
Pouring Drugs into the Toilet, Sink, or Septic System?
 Drugs, prescription or prescription medicines, should never be flushed down a toilet unless your pharmacist or the drug
manufacturer tells you specifically that the particular drug is absolutely harmless to the environment.
While this is not a new topic,
as recently as April 2007 the New York Times reported the growing detection of pharmaceuticals such as birth control pills, anti-depressants,
painkillers, shampoos, and other compounds in rivers, lakes, streams, and ground water, including possibly drinking water.
The Times article described "pharmaceutical and personal care products" or "P.P.C.P.'s which are being flushed down drains and
which pass through sewage treatment systems and private residential septic systems into the aquifer.
Beyond a possible hazard of inadvertent consumption of antibiotics (and growing development
of bacteria resistant to our antibiotics), it is possible that very low levels of other compounds will have a drastic affect on some
animals, possibly going un-detected until that population declines beyond its ability to recover.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- New York Times Science
Section, F1 and F8, 3 April 2007
- Our Stolen Future, Theo Colborn, Dianne Dumanoski, and John Peterson Myers, published by Penguin Publishing, 1997.
- HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS into the septic tank?
- OTHER CHEMICALS to keep out of the septic system
- Percolation Testing Manual, CNMI Division of Environmental Quality, Gualo Rai, Saipan provides an excellent English Language manual guide for soil percolation testing. Original source: www.deq.gov.mp/artdoc/Sec6art108ID255.pdf
- Soil Test Pit Preparation, fact sheet, Oregon DEQ Department of Environmental Quality, original source www.deq.state.or.us/wq/pubs/factsheets/onsite/testpitprep.pdf The Oregon DEQ onsite water quality program can be contacted at 811 South Ave, Portland OR 97204, 800-452-4011 or see http://www.oregon.gov/DEQ/
- Thanks to reader Michael Roth for technical link editing 6/29/09.
- The Septic System Information Website home page for this topic
- Septic Systems Inspection, Testing, & Maintenance- online textbook. Detailed how to inspect, maintain, repair information
- The Home Buyer's Guide to Septic Systems
- Septic Tank Pumping Guide: When, Why, How to pump the septic tank
- Home & Outdoor Living Water Requirements
- Septic Tank Capacity vs Usage in Daily Gallons of Wastewater Flow, calculating required septic tank size, calculating septic tank volume from size measurements
- Septic Tank/Soil-Absorption Systems: How to Operate & Maintain [ copy on file as /septic/Septic_Operation_USDA.pdf ] - , Equipment Tips, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 8271 1302, 7100 Engineering, 2300 Recreation, September 1982, web search 08/28/2010, original source: http://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/pubs/pdfimage/82711302.pdf.
- How Big Should the Leach Field Be? - table of soil percolation rate vs. field size
- Septic System Drainfield Absorption System Biomat Formation - what leads to drain field clogging and expensive drainfield repairs
- Table of Required Septic & Well Clearances: Distances Between Septic System & Wells, Streams, Trees, etc.
- Ten Steps to Keeping a Septic System Working, suggestions from the U.S. EPA, edits and additions by DJF
- Pennsylvania State Fact Sheets relating to domestic wastewater treatment systems include
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-161, Septic System Failure: Diagnosis and Treatment
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-162, The Soil Media and the Percolation Test
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-l64, Mound Systems for Wastewater Treatment
- Pennsylvania State Wastewater Treatment Fact Sheet SW-165, Septic Tank-Soil Absorption Systems
- Document Sources used for this web page include but are not limited to: Agricultural Fact Sheet #SW-161 "Septic Tank Pumping," by Paul D. Robillard and
Kelli S. Martin. Penn State College of Agriculture - Cooperative Extension, edited and annotated by
Dan Friedman (Thanks: to Bob Mackey for proofreading the original source material.)
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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
- Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
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