[Pharmwaste] hospitals flushing unused pharms - long article

Tenace, Laurie Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Mon Sep 15 09:25:07 EDT 2008


http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-14-drugs-flush-water_N.htm
good article - long with lots of links

U.S. hospitals and long-term care facilities annually flush millions of
pounds of unused pharmaceuticals down the drain, pumping contaminants into
America's drinking water, according to an ongoing Associated Press
investigation.
These discarded medications are expired, spoiled, over-prescribed or
unneeded. Some are simply unused because patients refuse to take them, can't
tolerate them or die with nearly full 90-day supplies of multiple
prescriptions on their nightstands.


NARCOTICS: Heavily controlled -- until it's time to dump them
REPORT: More towns test water, find drugs

Few of the country's 5,700 hospitals and 45,000 long-term care homes keep
data on the pharmaceutical waste they generate. Based on a small sample,
though, the AP was able to project an annual national estimate of at least
250 million pounds of pharmaceuticals and contaminated packaging, with no way
to separate out the drug volume.

One thing is clear: The massive amount of pharmaceuticals being flushed by
the health services industry is aggravating an emerging problem documented by
a series of AP investigative stories - the commonplace presence of minute
concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the nation's drinking water supplies,
affecting at least 46 million Americans.

(More)


Laurie J. Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400
PH: (850) 245-8759
FAX: (850) 245-8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us 

Mercury web pages:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

Unwanted Medications web pages:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/medications/default.htm




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