[Pharmwaste] "Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags"

Tue Apr 13 16:37:59 EDT 2010

Advertising prescription drugs used to be against the law - what happened?

Sue Dayton

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League

North Carolina Healthy Communities Program

PO BOX 44

Saxapahaw, NC 27340

(336) 525-2003

sdayton at swcp.com

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-  Martin Luther King Jr.

  _____  

From: Lauer, Michelle [mailto:MLauer at christianacare.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 4:25 PM
To: Matthew C. Mireles; Dennis Lucia; Deborah (DEQ)' 'DeBiasi;
pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us; Sue Dayton
Cc: Elizabeth A. Smith PhD
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] "Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S.
Lags"

Mathew:

I could not second that one more! Thanks so much for pointing this out. What
we collect at the med-take back events are a graphic reminder of all the
'overs' you mention below.

Michelle Lauer, RN, MSN, BC 
Patient Care Coordinator - Psychiatry 
(302) 428-2117 or pager # 884-9440 

P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Matthew C.
Mireles
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 2:13 PM
To: Dennis Lucia; Deborah (DEQ)' 'DeBiasi; pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us;
Sue Dayton
Cc: Elizabeth A. Smith PhD
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] "Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S.
Lags"

I have a better idea...we need to stop believing we are that sick.  US
population consumes about 50% of the entire global pharmaceutical production
(approx $600 billion US).  Some of our samples are showing about 40-50% of
prescription medicines being thrown away (flushed, buried, or burned).  One
effective but very difficult solutnion is to address the over-marketing,
over-prescribing, over-consuming, and over-the-top wasting in the US.  There
really isn't a cure for everything, and a true reality check might be the
closest panacea for many.

Matthew Mireles

Community Medical Foundation for Patient Safety

-----Original Message----- 
From: Dennis Lucia 
Sent: Apr 13, 2010 1:46 PM 
To: "Deborah (DEQ)' 'DeBiasi" , pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us, Sue Dayton

Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] "Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S.
Lags" 

Sue,

Pick your poison.

Assume 1000 #'s of pharmaceuticals to be disposed of.

Method 1 - Flushing - 100% enters the waters

Method 2 - landfill - Pharmaceuticals enter the leachate - some break down -
most are sent to a wastewater treatment facility let's say 95% for the sake
of conversation.  950 # to the waters

Method 3 - incineration - controlled burn - 999+ pounds destroyed - 1 # to
filters some captured. Less than 1 # released to environment.

What we need are well controlled facilities that follow regulations... :)

Dennis J. Lucia, P.E.
Pollution Prevention Unit
Division of Environmental Permits
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
625 Broadway  4th Fl.- SW
Albany, NY 12233-1750
(518) 402-9469
Fax (518) 402-9168

>>> "Sue Dayton" <sdayton at swcp.com> 4/13/2010 1:02 PM >>>
Hi Folks:

"Dozens of filters catch pollutants, from mercury to dioxin, that would have
emerged from its smokestack only a decade ago?"

Waste to energy? Sounds like a wonderful idea, but not without compromises.
For one, our air. 

Our organization has a number of studies available on WTE. For starters see:

http://www.bredl.org/pdf2/StopIncinerationBlowingSmoke.pdf

http://www.greenaction.org/incinerators/documents/IncineratorsInDisguiseRepo
rtJune2006.pdf

http://preventcancernow.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/pcn-incin51.pdf

PowerPoint: Burning Issues in Waste Disposal: 
http://www.greenaction.org/incinerators/documents/GreenactionGAIAIncinerator
sInDisguise0209.pdf

Best - 

Sue Dayton
Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League
North Carolina Healthy Communities Program
PO BOX 44
Saxapahaw, NC 27340
(336) 525-2003
sdayton at swcp.com

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
-  Martin Luther King Jr.

-----Original Message-----
From: pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of DeBiasi,
Deborah (DEQ)
Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 9:31 AM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: [Pharmwaste] "Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags"

Good article on the Waste-to-Energy Incinerators, like Covanta, that
were being discussed here last week.

"Europe Finds Clean Energy in Trash, but U.S. Lags"

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html?th
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/science/earth/13trash.html?th&emc=th>
&emc=th

Deborah L. DeBiasi 
Email:   Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov (NEW!)
WEB site address:  www.deq.virginia.gov 
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality 
Office of Water Permit Programs 
Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program 
PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents
www.deq.virginia.gov/vpdes/microconstituents.html 
Mail:          P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA  23218 
Location:  629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA  23219 
PH:         804-698-4028 
FAX:      804-698-4032 

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