[Pharmwaste] Federal Incineration Reg - Email found in subject

Tue Jul 13 14:25:58 EDT 2010

So herein lies a challenge because they are not always 2 different  
issues...granted we know that the bulk of pharmaceuticals in our environment do  
not come from hospitals per se, nevertheless a lot of medications are 
delivered  via sharps which then get put in sharps containers, whether its trace 
medication  left in each syringe or a dosage mistake, etc...then there is...

gasp...human error.  I can tell you plenty of stories of sharps being  put 
not in sharps containers, but say trash cans, meals trays returning to the  
kitchen....this was common enough to merit its own discussion for months and 
 yes, more time was devoted to discussing than resolving, much more.  Its  
safe to assume that despite endless amounts of training and education, 
clinical  staff make mistakes... its is safe assume that vials of meds end up in  
sharps containers or in red bag waste.  I've seen trained staff use red bag 
 containers for chemo waste because "it all goes the same place right?"

So in the big picture, no this is not the iceberg but with the millions of  
pounds of medical waste disposed of every year, we should also not discount 
that  its a source worth paying attention to and its being autoclaved.

Tom Badrick
Badrick Consulting

In a message dated 7/13/2010 11:01:00 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
GILLIAM at adeq.state.ar.us writes:

guess we can start searching for another Yucca  Mountain.....

and  am not about micro wave.  But autoclaving won't  destroy, it simply 
disinfects doesn't it?  disposal of  pharmaceutials and proper disposal of 
medical waste are two separate  issues.

allen g

-----Original Message-----
From:  pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us  
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Jan  Harris
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 12:12 PM
To: Sue  Dayton; 'Al White'; 'gressitt'; 'Holcomb, Sarah, NMENV'
Cc:  pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] Federal  Incineration Reg - Email found in subject

Sue,  what would be your proposed method of destruction for the 
pharmaceutical  waste there in NC?   
Jan  Harris, MPH 
Director,  EHS 
Sharps  Compliance 
_jharris at sharpsinc.com_ (mailto:jharris at sharpsinc.com)    

From:  pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us  
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Sue  Dayton
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 5:04 AM
To: 'Al  White'; 'gressitt'; 'Holcomb, Sarah, NMENV'
Cc:  pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] Federal  Incineration Reg - Email found in subject

Hello  Al: 
We  are currently “fighting” two medical waste incinerators here in NC:  
Stericycle and BMWNC (Healthcare Waste Solutions). Our goal is to convince  
them to switch to more environmentally-friendly methods of disposal, (i.e.),  
microwaving or autoclaving. Both incinerators are located next to schools  
and residential neighborhoods. Both have continued violations. Both are out  
of compliance with the new air standards for air pollutants under the new  
EPA rules for medical waste incinerators promulgated in 2009. Both burn  
paper and plastics as a means to fuel the incinerators – a method to  reduce 
fuel costs, but a monstrous and absolutely needless disposal method  that 
results in the formation of dioxins.  
There  is no regulation or testing required for the zillions of  
pharmaceuticals being incinerated: we do not know what is going in nor do we  know 
what is going out. Haz pharms are supposed to be separated from non-haz  pharms 
in our state (NC does not incinerate haz waste); however, questions  remain 
if the two are actually being efficiently and effectively segregated.   
The  new EPA rules include (in addition to better recycling and waste  
segregation, increased monitoring/testing and removal of the exemption for  
uncontrolled emissions from “by-pass” events) stricter standards for air  
pollutants for medical waste incinerators. We are pushing to have our NC  
implement the new rules two years earlier than the EPA’s compliance date of  2014.  
Pharms  disposal continues to be a wild card and must somehow be better 
regulated,  tested and dealt with regarding their potential impacts to public 
health and  the environment.  

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_ (mailto:sdayton at swcp.com)  

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

____________________________________

From:  pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us  
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of Al  White
Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2010 4:26 AM
To:  'gressitt'; 'Holcomb, Sarah, NMENV'
Cc:  pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: RE: [Pharmwaste] Federal  Incineration Reg
Sarah/  Stevan: 
Incineration  is a very cost intensive, non-sustainable practice, 
Additionally and most  importantly it must be performed properly under strict 
monitoring  conditions. The un-intended by-product “Dioxin” et.al. will be 
produced and  released If the pharm compounds are not raised to proper temperatures 
and  maintained for prescribed time intervals under prescribed containment  
conditions. This is not a simple task. I am amazed that this practice is  
even permitted. 
Al  White 

From:  pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us  
[mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf Of  gressitt
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 6:08 PM
To:  Holcomb, Sarah, NMENV
Cc:  pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: Re: [Pharmwaste] Federal  Incineration Reg

I  would ask them to  provide the reg. It is not true in Maine. 

Stevan Gressitt,  M.D.
Faculty Associate, University of Maine Center on Aging
Founding  Director
Maine Institute for Safe Medicine
University of New England,  College of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences 
Associate  Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
University of New England, College of  Osteopathic Medicine
716 Stevens Avenue 
Portland, Maine 04103
_gressitt at gmail.com_ (mailto:gressitt at gmail.com)  
Cell:  207-441-0291  

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