[text][heur] Re: [Pharmwaste] Curing the problem of discarding
pills - Seattle, WA 2/1/07
gressitt at uninets.net
gressitt at uninets.net
Tue Feb 6 15:14:06 EST 2007
http://www.ees.ufl.edu/homepp/townsend/Research/Pharm/default.asp
Stevan Gressitt, M.D.
> Landfill chemistry is indeed a great, under-studied issue. Not only is
> there the issue of the pharmaceuticals in their present form, but what
> chemical interactions might occur when they slowly interact with acids,
> bases, ethers, esters and the other chemicals disposed in landfills, as
> well as those formed by the anaerobic bacteria active in landfills.
> USEPA acknowledges that all subtitle D MSW landfills WILL leak into
> groundwater; probably after the 30-year post closure responsibility
> period....for more information, Google Dr. G. Fred Lee or Peter
> Anderson Madison WI.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
> [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Stephen
> Musson
> Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 1:23 PM
> To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
> Subject: [text][heur] Re: [Pharmwaste] Curing the problem of discarding
> pills - Seattle,WA 2/1/07
>
>
> I notice that this article points to dangers of medications in
> landfills. However, in a modern lined landfill, I have not seen any
> studies pointing to medication leaching from the landfill. A handful of
> studies have detected some in groundwater near an old landfill which had
> an identifiable source of a given pharm. Does anyone else have more
> information than this?
>
> With some states now telling people to use the trash instead of the
> sink, I think we need to be wary of these blanket statements without
> proof.
>
>
>
> "DeBiasi,Deborah" <dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov> wrote:
>
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/301869_hcenter01.html
>
> SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
> http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/301869_hcenter01.html
>
> Curing the problem of discarding pills
> Thursday, February 1, 2007
>
> By CHERIE BLACK
> P-I REPORTER
>
> At one time, pharmacies and physicians were OK with consumers
> flushing
> unwanted or expired medications down the toilet or throwing them
> in the
> garbage.
>
> Now, we know better.
>
> Evidence of the medications' harmful effects have been surfacing
> in our
> waterways, landfills and marine life. A nationwide study
> released in
> 2002 by the United States Geological Survey showed trace levels
> of
> chemicals found in prescription drugs in 80 percent of the
> streams
> across the country.
>
> Putting medicines in the garbage also can lead to accidental
> contact by
> children and animals. The Centers for Disease Control and
> Prevention
> points to an increased risk of accidental poisoning from
> unwanted or
> expired medications sitting in medicine cabinets. Plus, the old
> medicines still can end up in the soil through landfills.
>
> So what to do?
>
> "We see this all the time, patients come to us and say please
> help us
> figure this out," said Shirley Reitz, associate director for
> clinical
> pharmacy services at Group Health. "We needed a way to do this
> without
> flushing them down the toilet or putting them in the garbage
> can," she
> said.
>
> As a result, a coalition of government and non-profit groups
> throughout
> the state, including Group Health, the Department of Ecology and
> the
> Washington State Board of Pharmacy, have developed a program to
> offer a
> better option -- the first program in Washington that collects
> unwanted
> pharmaceuticals and disposes of them safely.
>
> The program is running in pharmacies at seven test sites
> throughout the
> state, including three in King County. Each has a large, blue,
> highly
> secure medical disposal unit in the customer waiting area where
> consumers bring unwanted medications in the original containers
> and drop
> them in the box, Reitz said. The materials are then transported
> to a
> hazardous waste destruction site for environmentally safe
> disposal.
>
> The program is modeled after one in British Columbia,
> established by
> pharmaceutical companies in 1996, which lets consumers return
> medication
> at more than 90 percent of its pharmacies.
>
> "This is a baby step toward that system -- that's the end game
> and what
> we're trying to build toward," said Sego Jackson, principal
> planner with
> Snohomish County's solid waste division. The county also is
> participating in the statewide effort to have all pharmacies
> offer
> medicine disposal sites.
>
> "This pilot is a win for health and safety and a win for the
> environment," said Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. "By
> partnering with agencies like Group Health, we hope to
> ultimately see
> convenient and safe disposal sites for medications at pharmacies
> across
> the state."
>
> Bartell Drugs also is involved in the program, and plans to
> establish a
> pilot site.
>
> During the past two months, the test sites collected 45 5-gallon
> buckets
> of medications, Reitz said. The coalition plans to establish as
> many as
> 25 permanent sites throughout the state, once finished working
> out final
> details of the program, including making sure there are enough
> resources
> at each site to handle the volume and finalizing the state
> contract with
> the hazardous waste plant incinerating the medication. In a
> January
> report by Washington Citizens for Resource Conservation, just
> over half
> of King County residents surveyed said medicine manufacturers
> should be
> responsible for funding a safe and convenient disposal solution.
> Nearly
> 75 percent said they would properly dispose of medications if
> they knew
> of a convenient location. Eighty percent said they were likely
> to return
> their unused or expired medicines in a secure drop box set up at
> a
> pharmacy.
>
> "When it comes to dangerous garbage, we know how to bury things
> and burn
> things," said Will Perry, health and environmental investigator
> with
> Public Health -- Seattle & King County. "I don't think there are
> any
> gross human public health concerns yet, but there is enough
> reason for
> potential environmental problems and we want to be paying
> attention to
> this."
>
> Local hospitals also are taking steps to make sure unused
> medications
> don't end up in waterways and landfills. At the University of
> Washington
> Medical Center, medications are returned to the manufacturer for
> credit
> when possible. For narcotics, the medical center contracts a
> reverse
> distributor who logs the drugs, fills out the necessary Drug
> Enforcement
> Agency forms and has the drugs incinerated, said Shabir Somani,
> the
> medical center's pharmacy director.
>
> Dr. Alison Lewis, a family physician for Group Health, said she
> has
> patients come in daily with bags full of pill bottles, many
> expired, and
> are confused about which ones they can still take.
>
> "I frequently see young kids taking their parent's or
> grandparent's
> narcotics," she said. "It's an invitation for abuse if you don't
> lock
> medications up or throw them away." Patients should encourage
> their
> doctors and pharmacists to make a safe disposal system available
> to them
> so they don't flush or throw them away, Lewis said.
>
> "There really is no other way right now."
>
> DRUG DISPOSAL
> What is safe to return:
>
> Prescription and over-the-counter medication
>
> Medication samples
>
> Veterinary medications
>
> Vitamins
>
> Medicated ointments and lotions
>
> Inhalers
>
> Liquid medication in glass or leakproof containers
>
> What can't be returned:
>
> Needles
>
> Thermometers
>
> IV bags
>
> Bloody or infectious waste
>
> Personal-care products
>
> Controlled substances
>
> Hydrogen peroxide
>
> Empty containers
>
> Business waste
>
> Where to take it
>
> The Medication Take-Back program is available at these seven
> pilot
> Washington pharmacies, with more sites statewide scheduled to be
> available soon.
>
>
> Burien Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 140 S.W. 146th St., Burien, 206-901-2405
>
>
> Everett Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 2930 Maple St., Everett, 425-261-1560
>
>
> Olympia Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 700 Lilly Road N.E., Olympia, 360-923-7600
>
>
> Eastside Hospital and Specialty Center Pharmacy
>
> 2700 152nd Ave. N.E., Redmond, 425-883-5940
>
>
> Renton Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 275 Bronson Way N.E., Renton, 425-235-2855
>
>
> Silverdale Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 10452 Silverdale Way N.W., Silverdale, 360-307-7410
>
>
> Riverfront Medical Center Pharmacy
>
> 322 W. North River Drive, Spokane, 509-324-6464
>
> Learn more
>
> For more information on how to properly dispose of medications
> or other
> health materials, call the state Department of Ecology at
> 800-RECYCLE
> (800-732-9253).
>
> Sources: Group Health Cooperative, Public Health -- Seattle &
> King
> County
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------
>
> P-I reporter Cherie Black can be reached at 206-448-8180 or
> cherieblack at seattlepi.com.
>
> (c) 1998-2007 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
>
>
> Deborah L. DeBiasi
> Email: dldebiasi at deq.virginia.gov
> WEB site address: www.deq.virginia.gov
> Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
> Office of Water Permit Programs
> Industrial Pretreatment/Toxics Management Program
> Mail: P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA 23218 (NEW!)
> Location: 629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219
> PH: 804-698-4028
> FAX: 804-698-4032
>
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