[Pharmwaste] FW: Regarding flushing of pharmaceuticals in households...
Charlotte A. Smith
csmith@pharmecology.com
Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:03:22 -0500
Hi Mark,
The Covanta Energy plants I am aware of can accept non-hazardous
pharmaceuticals and routinely destroy for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
The only contact I have is Bernie Heile in the Midwest. His email is
BHeile@CovantaEnergy.com. I know they have plants out east also. They do
need an inventory to do waste profiling.=20
Best regards,
Charlotte A. Smith, R. Ph., M.S., HEM
President
PharmEcology Associates, LLC
200 S. Executive Drive, Suite 101
Brookfield, WI 53005
Phone: 262-814-2635
Fax: 414-479-9941
csmith@pharmecology.com
-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Mark Latham
Sent: Thursday, July 21, 2005 2:34 PM
To: AHeil@lacsd.org; pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us
Cc: Ross Bunnell
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] FW: Regarding flushing of pharmaceuticals in
households...
Does anyone know of a "Trash-2-Energy" plant that is permitted to accept
non-RCRA pharmaceutical wastes from non-homeowner generated waste (i.e.,
manufacturers, distributors, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.)? Lemme no.
Thanks, Mark
=20
>>> "Heil, Ann" <AHeil@lacsd.org> 07/21/05 11:13AM >>>
A key point to keep in mind is that, at least in California and
presumably in Minnesota, we want to get pharmaceuticals out of sewers
NOW. We want to take action that will let us do that in the most
cost-effective and timely manner possible. We CANNOT wait until we have
solved all problems regarding waste assessment, patient compliance,
pharmacoeconomic policy projections, sources of payment, counterfeit
medication, etc. We can not wait until a national pharmaceutical
take-back program has been set up. We can not wait until some fancy
device is invented that cleverly destroys controlled substances. We
need to move forward, let me say it again, NOW, to get pharmaceuticals
out of sewers. People moving forward with these efforts should not be
critized for imperfect efforts; they are actually taking action rather
than remaining paralyzed because they can't come up with the perfect
solution. And, FWIW, I disagree that incinerating waste pharmaceuticals
is automatically better than landfilling them. Waste pharmaceuticals are
often left in their plastic containers, and incinerating plastics makes
dioxin. Incinerators "leak" via air emissions, maybe not of the
original substance but of other toxics.=20
=20
Ann Heil
LACSD
=20
=20
-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us]On Behalf Of Stevan
Gressitt
Sent: Wednesday, July 20, 2005 6:52 PM
To: 'Tenace, Laurie'; pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us=20
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] FW: Regarding flushing of pharmaceuticals in
households...
This process would ensure that no assessment of waste, patient
compliance, pharmacoeconomic policy projections, or sources of payment
for potential for identification of unidentified counterfeit medication
would occur. Quite successfully. No ability to determine whether one
drug of a class has a lower compliance or patient dissatisfaction rate
than another, and no ability to use non-compliance to address side
effects or public health educational campaigns. From Hush and Flush, the
process will become Hush and Hide.=20
=20
This will take the entire unused medication issue and hide it. What is
needed is a godd assessment of policies that ever urge greater access,
greater price control and work toward more profligate prescribing
regardless of use rates. With 60% of the population non-compliant with
medications now, we will hide that and continue the process. Smarter
prescribing, less waste at the front ned should be the goal and that
will entail using numbers to educate prescribers, insurance companies,
and perhaps manufacturers. Certainly policies as currently followed have
led us to this situation where the problem exists, but hiding it will
not solve it and frankly will contribute to the old policies continuing
to churn out more and more waste.
=20
Do I have an answer for all the problems, no, but setting in motion a
public education campaign that starts a process of sweeping the problem
into the landfill which may or may not leak today tomorrow or the next
is not one I would think has universal support. I continue to hear
incineration as the preferred method for pharmaceutical destruction,
diversion control, or simple inactivation of ingredients.=20
=20
If 60% of patient can't follow the instruction such as "Take one a day"
accurately, I also fear that the steps involved will simply not be met
by the majority of the public. Or that is how I read the evidence.
=20
Once a public has the attached message in their "daily exposure" then
when a better system or systems, which I do believe is ahead of us, is
found the whole educational process will need to start up again and
redirect a public starting down one path. It is not a process that
engenders trust as the medical community can vouch for given the history
of say Thalidomide, or more recently Vioxx.
=20
Just some thoughts.
=20
Stevan Gressitt, M.D.
=20
=20
_____ =20
From: pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-admin@lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Tenace,
Laurie
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 9:10 AM
To: pharmwaste@lists.dep.state.fl.us=20
Subject: [Pharmwaste] FW: Regarding flushing of pharmaceuticals in
households...
=20
=20
Minnesota is always on top of things -=20
=20
_____ =20
From: pharmwaste-owner@lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-owner@lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Walter,
Rebecca
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 4:48 PM
To: pharmwaste-owner@lists.dep.state.fl.us=20
Subject: Regarding flushing of pharmaceuticals in households...
=20
Here is a flyer that the Office of Environmental Assistance (OEA) in
Minnesota developed to educate citizens how to dispose of their unwanted
pharmaceuticals. The OEA is currently working on printing copies to
distribute state wide.=20
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/hhw/pharmaceuticals.cfm=20
Rebecca Walter, PCS=20
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency=20
(651) 296-3552=20
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