Why You Should Be Concerned About Medical Waste
The U.S. Government has found the 80% of watersheds contain low levels of at least one type of pharmaceutical chemical, with half of our streams containing seven or more.
Waste water treatment facilities can’t filter these chemicals out, so many drugs are being detected in drinking water.
The effects of most of these productes are unknown, but increased concentrations of antibiotics in drinking water have produced “super bugs” bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
The risks of long-term exposure of these substances to humans and animals are unknown.
Previous information campaigns encouraged consumers to “flush” excess pharmaceuticals, but these sunstances are now ending up in our drinking water.
Unwanted medicine improperly disposed can be stolen and used, potentially resulting in death or illness.
Improper disposal of used sharps can cause injury, illness, and pollution.
Prescription Drugs
The new Federal prescrition drug dosposal guidelines are designed to reduce the diversion of prescription drugs, while also protection the environment. These gudielines urge Americans to:
Take unused, unneeded, or expired prescription drugs out of their original containers. Mix the prescription drugs with an undesirable sunstance, like used coffee grounds or kitty litter, and put them in impermeable, non-descript containers, such as empty cans or sealable bags, further ensuring that the drugs are not diverted or accidentally ingested by children or pets. Throw these containers in the trash.
Contact your local pharmacy to see if they have a take-back program in place for unused, inneeded, or expired prescription drugs.
Sharp
Wayne County encourages safe disposal of sharps. Sharps include syringes, needles, and lancets. YOu can help prevent injury, illness, and pollution by following some simple steps when you dispose of these sharp objects.
You should place needles, syringes, lancets, and other sharp objects in hard-plastic or metal container with a screw-on or tightly secured lid. Many containers found in the household, such as liquid laundry detergent bottles or metal coffee canes, will do, or you may purchase containers specifically designed for the disposal of medica waste sharps.
Do not put sharp objects in any container you plan to recycle or return to a store, and do not use glass or clear plastic containers.
To dispose, you may choose one of the following methods:
1.) Take to local Household Hazardous Waste Collection site in your area
2.) Reinforce the lid with heavy-duty tape, lable “Not Recyclable” and place container in you regular trash. This will prevent a trash hauler from mistakenly routing the cintainer for recycling.
3.) Contact a Medical Waste Disposal Service. A list is available in your area .
Finally, make sure that you keep all containers with sharp objects out of the reach of chidren and pets. It is also recommended that soiled banagers, disposable sheets, and medical gloves be placed in securely fastened plastic bags.
Other Resources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The potential environmental impacts of pharmaceuticals: www.eps.gov/esd/chemistry/pharma/index.htmU.S. Geological survey (USGS) - research on the presence of pharmaceuticals in the environment: http://toxics.usgs.gov/regional/emc/
For more information on the proper disposal of home medical waste or other household hazardous waste, contact your local hazardous waste disposal facility.
———————————————————————————–
Popularity: 17% [?]
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Tags: Environmental Protection Agency, hazardous waste, Household Hazardous Waste, medical waste, pharmaceutical chemicalRelated posts
Email It

![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c634f4be-e276-4690-87e4-da03255cecb9)

![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=276769db-48df-4ed2-b191-0f5f6583bcbf)















Free Download

