2024-03-31 16:15:00
More than 700€ per year, this is the average expenditure of a French person in pharmacy*. Medicines that are found… in nature. “Our body metabolizes part of it. The rest goes into urine and stools…”details Françoise Locquès, founder of the marine environment consultancy firm Mission bleue. Doctor in marine biology, this resident of Nice has devoted 5 years to a detailed study of the impact of these molecules on the waters of our coastline.
Because their treatment in wastewater treatment plants requires techniques that are often too sophisticated and expensive to be implemented. From 2018 to 2022, the scientist carried out nearly 200 samples and analyzes in the dilution space of discharges from the Vallauris Golfe-Juan and Cannes wastewater treatment plants: in the water, sediments, livers and muscles of fish and on mussels.
In its sights: diclofenac (anti-inflammatory), ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazol (anti-infectious), carbamazepine (anti-epileptic) and paracetamol. Result: “all were detected, without being able to quantify them finely. With the exception of diclofenac and ibuprofen, the presence of which is more significant.”
Considered as micropollutantsthese residues can cause feminization and behavioral alterations in fish or even cause cocktail effects harmful to health human by associating with other molecules.
To go beyond “alarmist observation”Françoise Locquès produced the guide Medicines, waste like no other, validated by hospital doctors on the Riviera. Here are 5 tips to limit this pollution.
*2021 figuresOrganization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
#1 Discuss the prescription with your doctor
The number. “1 in 5 French people take several medications at the same time”according to the National Medicines Safety Agency.
The right reflex. “Certain medications are incompatible. They can interact and have serious consequences on our health (increase, decrease or even elimination of the effects of 1 or both medications)”, recalls Françoise Locquès in her guide. To avoid ingesting it in a counterproductive way, it is better to remind your doctor of the treatments you are taking during the consultation.
And to limit the impact of our treatments on nature, it is also possible to ask your practitioner to favor prescriptions with a low PBT index. This gives a score (from 1 to 9) on the environmental dangerousness of the active substances of the drug, based on 3 criteria: persistence in the environment, bioaccumulation (absorption by certain organisms) and toxicity on wildlife and aquatic flora.
#2 In pharmacies, take only what you need
The number. About 25% of prescribed medications are never consumed, according to Jalma, a health sector consultancy.
The right reflex. Even if it is prescribed on the prescription, it is possible not to take a medication that you already have in stock at home when you visit the pharmacy.
#3 Sort your unused or expired medications correctly
The number. According to the OECD, around 17,000 tonnes of unused or expired medicines are thrown away each year in France.
The right gesture. In France, the Cyclamed recovery sector collects this waste like no other so that it can be treated separately. Contrary to popular belief, these are not sent to other countries or reused in the form of medicines but incinerated using a specific method, intended to limit their impact on the environment.
Do you have expired or unused boxes? Throwing them in the trash or down the toilet represents a major risk of water and soil pollution. Tablets, ointments, creams, gels, syrups, aerosols, sprays and inhalers must be returned to the pharmacy. Cardboard packaging and instructions can, for their part, be thrown into selective sorting. Doubts about sorting a medication? Cyclamed has a online search engine.
#4 Avoid self-medication
The number. “Nearly one in 2 French people give medication to a loved one because they have the same symptoms, 1 in 10 do it systematically or often,” according to the National Medicines Safety Agency.
The right reflex. “Medications are essential, they save lives but they should not be taken lightly”, points out Françoise Locquès. To limit releases into the environment and fight against antibiotic resistance in our bodies, the use of self-medication should be avoided.
#5 For mild ailments, favor natural remedies
The number. In France, according to the Sanofi laboratory, more than 420 million boxes of Doliprane were put on the market in 2022.
The right reflex. Headaches, colds, temporary insomnia… With the approval of hospital doctors, the guide on the proper use of medications also highlights natural alternatives to combat benign everyday ailments without throwing yourself, for example, on a box paracetamol. Among these tips: infusion with dried lavender flowers or inhalation of cider vinegar diluted in water for sudden headaches, infusion with thyme (with expectorant properties) against colds, orange blossom before bed to promote sleep. falling asleep…
Please note: the guide scrupulously mentions the contraindications that some of these natural remedies may present in the event of particular pathologies, allergies or even pregnancy. All the details freely accessible here.
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