Pharmaceutical products are an important part of disease management.These drugs all have an expiry date beyond which they become toxic rather than therapeutic. Pharmaceutical disposal refers to the process involved in getting rid of drugs that are no longer needed or are expired. To ensure proper disposal by consumers and health institutions, guidelines have made available to all authorities that need them. Most medicines in California can be discarded together with the household trash but only if the label says so.
An example of situations where drugs have to be disposed in large amounts is donations made by companies to regions that have been hit by certain calamities. These disaster stricken areas may lack the necessary resources to store the drugs and sometimes the cargo may arrive close to the date of expiry. Even when they come in early, long before due date, the people on the ground may take advantage of the durability and mismanage the drugs. Other than that, instructions may be written in a foreign language or the medication may not be suitable for those affected.
To avoid wasting donations, a few simple guidelines need to be observed. This includes donating only those drugs that have durability of more than one year from the time of shipment unless the recipient health institutions have the capacity to effectively accommodate the drugs. Donors should also confirm that medication being shipped is actually appropriate for those meant to receive it.
Any method can be used for disposal on condition that keeps the environment safe from pollution. Improvisation can be done in countries that are not able to afford more advanced methods such as incineration which is commonly used in industrialized regions. Very high temperatures of above one thousand two hundred degrees Celsius are necessary for effective incineration.
To ensure safety, all individuals taking part in the disposal procedure must wear gloves, masks, boots, overalls and other protective wear as deemed necessary. Masks are particularly appropriate when crushing tablets to avoid powder splashing into the eyes. Sorting should be done to identify drugs which are still in good to be used again and those that need discarding. Disposable ones are sorted out further according to what method is to be used for disposal.
Land filling, an affordable way of waste disposal involves piling up waste at a given site without bothering about treatment. Unfortunately drug dealers may take advantage of this and excavate already buried drugs for resale into the market. Tight security therefore needs to be put in place to avoid such setbacks.
Alternatively, expired medication can be collected in a container until it is approximately seventy five percent full after which additional harmless material fills up the container forming a block. This material may be in form of lime combined with cement or plain cement. Care should be taken that not potential explosives are present in the containers.
There are drugs that can simply be flushed down the toilet or sink. Some of this may include intravenous fluids and syrups. An exception to this are antibiotics that are not capable of being biodegraded as they interfere with the treatment process of the sewerage systems. Disposal of anticancer drugs into water systems is also contraindicated as it causes contamination and destruction of aquatic life.
An example of situations where drugs have to be disposed in large amounts is donations made by companies to regions that have been hit by certain calamities. These disaster stricken areas may lack the necessary resources to store the drugs and sometimes the cargo may arrive close to the date of expiry. Even when they come in early, long before due date, the people on the ground may take advantage of the durability and mismanage the drugs. Other than that, instructions may be written in a foreign language or the medication may not be suitable for those affected.
To avoid wasting donations, a few simple guidelines need to be observed. This includes donating only those drugs that have durability of more than one year from the time of shipment unless the recipient health institutions have the capacity to effectively accommodate the drugs. Donors should also confirm that medication being shipped is actually appropriate for those meant to receive it.
Any method can be used for disposal on condition that keeps the environment safe from pollution. Improvisation can be done in countries that are not able to afford more advanced methods such as incineration which is commonly used in industrialized regions. Very high temperatures of above one thousand two hundred degrees Celsius are necessary for effective incineration.
To ensure safety, all individuals taking part in the disposal procedure must wear gloves, masks, boots, overalls and other protective wear as deemed necessary. Masks are particularly appropriate when crushing tablets to avoid powder splashing into the eyes. Sorting should be done to identify drugs which are still in good to be used again and those that need discarding. Disposable ones are sorted out further according to what method is to be used for disposal.
Land filling, an affordable way of waste disposal involves piling up waste at a given site without bothering about treatment. Unfortunately drug dealers may take advantage of this and excavate already buried drugs for resale into the market. Tight security therefore needs to be put in place to avoid such setbacks.
Alternatively, expired medication can be collected in a container until it is approximately seventy five percent full after which additional harmless material fills up the container forming a block. This material may be in form of lime combined with cement or plain cement. Care should be taken that not potential explosives are present in the containers.
There are drugs that can simply be flushed down the toilet or sink. Some of this may include intravenous fluids and syrups. An exception to this are antibiotics that are not capable of being biodegraded as they interfere with the treatment process of the sewerage systems. Disposal of anticancer drugs into water systems is also contraindicated as it causes contamination and destruction of aquatic life.
About the Author:
Read more about Essential Facts To Be Considered Regarding Pharmaceutical Disposal.
RSS Feed (xml)
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu