Tox Town is a nice little town with tons of environmental health related problems everywhere you turn. It is great for a online visit if your area has the bandwidth. I deal with problems by using the code word Fire to instruct my student to teloport to an another area in secondlife.
Below is an overview on how I used this in a class in summer of 2010 to discuss medication and environmental health.
Pollution Prevent Plan for Medicine & Drugs in Public Water Supply & Wastewater
1. Educational Outreach to the public using sources such as the pharmacy, health departments, doctor offices, municipal water bills, and public service announcements (PSA).
2. Provide one website that shows the levels of medicine /drugs found in the public water supply. This should include how this was determined and by what governmental agency (EPA or TCEQ). Provide a link to another part of the website that explains the potential environmental impacts of medicine in the drinking water supply. The website must link to the major drug companies Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for each medication which explains the proper method of disposal.
3. A toll free 800 number for the public to call to find out what they should do with the medication waste.
4. Labeling on the medicine containers should have a website address above, and a warning label for the proper disposal of unused medication.
This four part multi-layer approached must be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of both public knowledge of the problem, and to determine if the concentrations found in the public water supply are changing as a result of this public education.
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