[Pharmwaste] FW: EPA recommendations on thimerosal-containing vaccines

[Charlotte A. Smith]

Please see Lisa Lauer's comments below. Hopefully the website will be
updated soon. 

 

Best regards, 

 

Charlotte A. Smith, R. Ph., M.S., HEM

Director, PharmEcology Services

WM Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

From: Lauer.Lisa at epamail.epa.gov [mailto:Lauer.Lisa at epamail.epa.gov] 
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 1:36 PM
To: Charlotte A. Smith
Cc: Jim McCauley
Subject: Re: EPA recommendations on thimerosal-containing vaccines

 

Hi Charlotte - 

 

Yes, you are correct. If vaccines containing thimerasol meet the
toxicity characteristic, then  they need to be managed as a hazardous
waste.  The webpage that was referenced was actually developed by
another group within EPA, and my management has just met with that group
and I will be working with them to amend that particular table.  I
believe the table is for household waste containing Hg - although I'm
not sure why vaccines were included.

 

Regards - 

Lisa

_____________________________________
Lisa M. Lauer
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Materials Recovery and Waste Management Division
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460
Mail Code 5304P
Voice: 703-308-7418
Fax: 703-308-0514
Schedule: Mon and Wed - 6:30 - 4:00 
Thurs - 6:00 - 8:00 AM

 

-----"Charlotte A. Smith" <csmith at pharmecology.com> wrote: -----

To: Lisa Lauer/DC/USEPA/US at EPA
From: "Charlotte A. Smith" <csmith at pharmecology.com>
Date: 02/19/2010 02:29PM
cc: "Jim McCauley" <jmccauley at pharmecology.com>
Subject: EPA recommendations on thimerosal-containing vaccines

Hi Lisa,

 

We're getting a lot of questions on the EPA guidance that appears to
indicate that vaccines containing thimerosal do not need special
handling.  The research we've done indicate they fail the TCLP for
mercury. We are preparing guidance for the industry on disposing the
H1N1 vaccine. Can you please review the website noted below and give us
feedback on the reasoning? If in error, can this be corrected so there
are not conflicting opinions voiced by EPA? Thanks so much! 

 

Best regards, Charlotte Smith

 

 

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