You've probably heard or read reports about pharmaceuticals making their way into the nation's water supply. Now, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has turned to health care providers for help in cutting the problem off at the source.
On Sept. 8, 2010, the EPA issued a request for comments on its draft guidance: "Best Management Practices for Unused Pharmaceuticals at Health Care Facilities" in the Federal Register.
The 43-page draft guidance contains the steps providers such as hospitals and physician offices can take to reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals that wind up in the water supply:
- Conduct an inventory of pharmaceuticals and unused pharmaceuticals to quantify the amount of medication the facility is disposing of.
- Reduce unused pharmaceuticals by reviewing purchasing practices, using limited dose or unit dose dispensing, replacing pharmaceutical samples with vouchers, and performing ongoing inventory control and stock rotation.
- Properly manage unused pharmaceuticals by identifying types of pharmaceuticals and any federal and state requirements.
- When possible, reuse or donate unused pharmaceuticals, return them to the pharmacy; send them to a reverse distributor for credit and proper disposal; and use EPA recommended practices to dispose of pharmaceutical waste at the facility.
- Segregate waste for disposal to ensure regulations are met and to reduce costs.
- Train staff in proper disposal methods.
The guidance also includes a list of state pharmaceutical donation programs and a sample drug waste tracking sheet.
Comments on the guidance are due on Nov. 8, 2010. You can submit a comment via email to: unusedpharms@epa.gov. Send comments by U.S. mail to:
Meghan Hessenauer, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303T)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
Washington, DC 20460.
Include your name and, if applicable, the name of your organization.
(Originally posted on anesthesia-decisions.com.)