What’s the best way to get rid of old medications?
Alex, Edmonton
The next time you find yourself de-cluttering the medicine cabinet, make sure you don’t flush old medications down the toilet, and don’t throw them in the garbage either. The safest way to dispose of old medications and over-the-counter health care products is to take them back to your local pharmacy.
Flushing unused or expired prescription medications down the toilet or throwing them in the garbage means they’ll eventually find their way into our streams and rivers – also known as our drinking water. Not only will you be eliminating the risk of an accidental poisoning in your home, but you’re also playing a role in keeping our oceans and landfills free of pollution.
Do I need to worry about toxic ingredients in sunscreens and what’s the safest sunscreen to use?
Julia, Halifax
Unfortunately, there are chemicals of concern in sunscreens. Four substances commonly found in chemical sunscreens — parabens, cinnamate, benzophenone and camphor derivatives — are thought to be the culprits killing coral reefs around the world. Yikes.
This summer, choose a sunscreen without parabens. You might also see related ingredients on the label like methylparaben, butylparaben, propylparaben. All are widely used in cosmetics as a synthetic preservative; they are easily absorbed by skin and should be avoided. What’s concerning is parabens are suspected of interfering with hormone function. Some evidence suggests that parabens mimic estrogen and studies suggest a possible association between parabens and breast cancer.
Lindsay Coulter gives you the straight goods on living green. Send your questions to queenofgreen@metronews.ca. For more great tips, visit The David Suzuki Foundation at davidsuzuki.org.
