[Pharmwaste] Liquid Pharmaceuticals

Fri Apr 1 22:13:08 EDT 2016

An interesting dialogue as always.  In my experience in the Northwest corner
of the country, most medicine take-back programs accept medicines in any
form including liquid, gels, and creams.  It's the exception that exclude
liquids. For all the reasons cited, it's good practice to accept liquid
medicines.

I would like to add the public health rationale for WHY it is very important
to collect liquid medicines to help reduce the ongoing and growing abuse of
both over-the-counter and prescription cough syrups.  If you're not aware of
this problem, talk to your local substance abuse prevention groups,
especially those that work with youth. And see this info on NIDA's website:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/cough-cold-medicine-abuse

If NIDA's info surprises you - google for "purple drank" or "lean" and
you'll be further surprised about this very real problem in our communities.

A number of states have passed laws prohibiting the sale to minors of OTC
cough syrups containing dextromethorphan. That's an important measure to
combine with making medicine take-back options for both prescription and
over-the-counter medicines more available. 

Margaret Shield, PhD

Community Environmental Health Strategies, LLC

margaret.shield at CEHstrategies.com <mailto:margaret.shield at CEHstrategies.com>

mobile:  206-499-5452

From: Pharmwaste [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf
Of DeBiasi, Deborah (DEQ)
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 12:46 PM
To: Vickie Davis <vdavis at uvlsrpc.org>; pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
Subject: Re: [Pharmwaste] Liquid Pharmaceuticals

            I have dealt with this issue in Virginia, and have found
conflicting information as well.  Many of the metal drug collection boxes
that law enforcement are using have "No Liquids" printed on them, along with
other restrictions.  I suspect the ban on liquids was an attempt at
preventing spills in the collection bags.  Law enforcement isn't subject to
a lot of the restrictions that DEA imposes, and certainly not subject to
what's printed on a collection box, so they can accept liquids if they want
to.  

            Law enforcement has the opportunity to see what citizens are
dropping in the collection boxes during a drug collection event, whether it
is DEA sponsored or local law enforcment sponsored.  The opportunity is
there for the lids to be tightened on bottles of liquid medications to
prevent leakage.  Most bottles are plastic these days, so that further
reduces the potential for breakage.

            I have talked to the Covanta waste-to-energy incinerator folks
enough to know that they don't have a problem with getting liquids in the
incinerators.  Knowing that, the only other issue that DEA may have is just
to reduce cost on incinerating all the drugs collected at these take back
events, since liquids add more weight than a similar volume of pills.    

Deborah DeBiasi

804-698-4028

Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov <mailto:Deborah.DeBiasi at deq.virginia.gov> 

From: Pharmwaste [mailto:pharmwaste-bounces at lists.dep.state.fl.us] On Behalf
Of Vickie Davis
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 2:50 PM
To: pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us
<mailto:pharmwaste at lists.dep.state.fl.us> 
Subject: [Pharmwaste] Liquid Pharmaceuticals

Hello, 

My apologies if this has already been discussed as meds are not the major
focus of my job, and I only skim the e-mails on pharmwaste.

I have someone who would like to dispose of pre-charged heparin syringes.
The police stations with daily take-back programs do not take liquid
medicine.  This is understandable since it gets tossed into a box and glass
could get broken or plastic squashed to splash medicine in the box.  So, I
thought perhaps the annual DEA collections might be the answer.  I had
already called the "big" pharmacy at our "big" hospital, and they are not
going to take any meds, and it's not legal in NH for them to do so.

I called DEA in Virginia and was told that the national DEA collections do
not take liquid medicine.  The person I spoke with directed me to an EPA
phone number.  I did not call as I assumed they would tell me to mix the
liquid with something dry and throw it into the trash.  I then called the
regional DEA office in New Hampshire and was told that the national program
CAN take liquids.  I explained my previous conversation, and that it is not
comfortable to share information if I don't know for sure that everyone
agrees that liquid can be taken.  I don't want to send people to these
annual or semi-annual collections with liquid medicine and have them turned
away with not resolution about what to do with liquid meds.  I left a
message for a guy at DEA who's on vacation, but I suspect that my one voice
is not going to make a change at DEA.

I then called a local police station to ask if they would accept liquids at
the national collection.  This police station is in a little city (that's
all we have if they are cities at all in this rural neck of the woods) that
services many towns.  The detective said that they already have a box
through DEA and although they will participate in the national collection,
the box states they cannot take liquid so they won't take liquids at the
national collection.  To get off the phone with me, he told me they would
take liquid meds from this one person I'm trying to find a solution for.
This actually wasn't helpful as the person lives away from here in Vermont.

My concern is not having a standard message at DEA which then gets shared
with local police participating in the national collection.

Has anyone else encountered this issue?  It feels like a big hole in the
drug takeback program.  I don't think  the liquid meds should go in the
landfill.  Is it possible to collectively or individually send a message to
DEA or is it not a problem for you?  This type of unclear directive really
frustrates me.

Thank you.

Vickie

Victoria Davis

Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission

10 Water Street, Suite 225

Lebanon, NH 03766

603-448-1680

603-448-0170 fax

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