[Pharmwaste] Kansas develops medication disposal program

[Tenace, Laurie]

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/19/3565040/kansas-develops-medication-disposal.html


Kansas develops medication disposal program
In a policy change, Kansans now can return expired or unused medicines to pharmacy.
By JOHN MILBURN


TOPEKA -- Kansas residents will be able to return their expired or unused medications to pharmacies for disposal under a policy change announced Thursday. Health officials hope it will prevent the drugs from being accidentally ingested or flushed down the toilet.
Robert Moser, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said changes in agency policy interpretation will allow for medication collection centers in such places as pharmacies and law enforcement stations. Or residents can have the pills picked up as hazardous waste, similar to the way some people dispose of paint cans.
"Storing unwanted or expired medications in the home poses a significant health risk to Kansas families. Children can be injured or even die from accidental ingestion," Moser said.
The program is in conjunction with the Board of Pharmacy, as well as the health agency's Bureau of Hazardous Waste.
Debra Billingsley, executive secretary of the Board of Pharmacy, said pharmacists have for years disposed of unused and expired medications from their own store supplies, nursing homes and hospitals, but they lacked the authority to accept them back from customers once they left the pharmacy. She said pharmacists want to provide the service to customers.
"They understand that medications are powerful and . should be discarded with care," she said.
Moser said allowing pharmacies, law enforcement and household hazardous waste centers to collect and safely dispose of the medications will reduce the number of accidental poisonings of children. Non-narcotic medications will be taken by pharmacists and placed in secure containers behind the counter and kept for proper disposal.
The program also will reduce contamination of water supplies that can occur when the medications are flushed or poured into municipal sewer systems.
Moser said most municipal wastewater treatment plants cannot completely filter the chemicals in medications from the sewage, leading to contamination of water supplies. That can lead to harmful side effects in humans and wildlife.
Kansas has experienced a 150 percent increase since 2000 in the hospital discharge rate for unintentional drug poisoning, Moser said. Children 5 and younger had the highest rate of emergency room visits for unintentional drug poisonings among all age groups.




Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist III
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
P: 850.245.8759
F: 850.245.8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Mercury: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm
Batteries: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/batteries/default.htm
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