Ventura County area residents are being asked to dump the habit of pouring unused medications down the drain.

Whether it's prescription or non-prescription drugs and even personal care products such as deodorant and hair dye, "we don't want you to flush them down the drain any more because we're learning it's not a good thing for the environment," said Jeff Reinhardt, public affairs and communications manager for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.

A statewide public information campaign this week calls for a new habit, "No Drugs Down the Drain," contradicting what has been recommended for years, that medications be flushed down the toilet.

The campaign is part of a nationwide effort to tell America that unused pharmaceuticals are polluting the environment, Reinhardt said.

The city of Oxnard is involved in the awareness campaign as part of the Southern California Coastal Water Research Coalition, Mark Pumford said.

"We are finding that endocrine-disrupting compounds are showing up in the ocean. So we know that not all medicines are being removed in the water treatment process," said Pumford, technical services manager for the Water Resources Division of the city's public works department.

Drug sales have doubled in recent years, and "pharmaceutical waste has emerged as a major issue for the environment," state officials say.

But controlling water pollution is only one part of the picture and "there is still much we need to figure out," said Mark Lawler, general manager of the Ventura Regional Sanitation District, which operates the Toland Road Landfill. Lawler said his district doesn't own or operate any treatment plants so how drugs are disposed of is up to the plant operators.

Still, the district is involved because throwing drugs into the trash without preparing them in the recommended manner doesn't solve anything, either.

Since federal law limits who can handle certain prescriptions and controlled substances, "it's an interesting problem. I don't know how it's going to be resolved," Lawler said.

State officials are saying the campaign is warranted since more sophisticated technologies are detecting pharmaceutical compounds in the environment, and research is showing that pharmaceuticals in waterways may be having a negative impact on fish and other aquatic life.

"We can measure parts per trillion now" and know much more than decades ago, Reinhardt said.

The "No Drugs Down the Drain" campaign makes three suggestions for disposal: ask your pharmacy to take medications back, take them to a household hazardous waste collection site, or crush them and mix with soil, put into their original container with safety cap, tape shut, wrap and place in the trash.

To learn more, visit http://www.NoDrugsDownTheDrain.org.