Last Saturday, when I was helping my better half clear household garbage, I was surprised to find that one of my cupboards was full of old medicines, half used or unused bottles, tablets, powder, antibiotic creams, anti-cold medicine, antiseptics, pain killers (including Paracetamol) and cough preparations. Furthermore, most of them were expired. I assume there is a similar collection of unused medicines in other households as well. Rational use of medicines may promote our health, but if taken accidentally, or in high doses, or after the date of expiry, they are likely to cause harm, especially to children and pets. Improper storage or disposal of expired or unused medications might also invite environmental hazards. Considering the potential dangers of retaining or haphazardly disposing these medicines, consumers need to be aware of their proper use and disposal.
In developed countries, ‘medicines take back’ programs help people practice safe and easy disposal of unwanted or expired medicines (also known as pharmaceutical wastes). In these programs, household pharmaceutical waste is dropped safely without any charge at the nearest community pharmacy, hospital, or other allocated places, which is then disposed safely. In Nepal, we have neither a medicine take back program, nor any other provision/facility for safe disposal of pharmaceutical waste. Tossing pharmaceutical waste into municipal containers seems to be the only method left. This practice of disposing pharmaceutical waste in municipality waste containers, after observing proper precautionary measures, is considered the last resort in developed countries. Here are the precautions.
ACCORDING2G.COM
The medicines to be disposed should be taken out of their original container and mixed (without crushing tablets or capsules) with an unpalatable substance such as pet litter or used tea granules. This way the medication can be made less appealing to children and pets, and unrecognizable to people who may intentionally go through the trash. The mixture should be sealed in plastic bags, empty cans, or other containers to prevent the medicine being taken out of garbage bag.
Medicines available in syrup or liquid form should be diluted in water and disposed by flushing down the sink or toilet. The practice of flushing unwanted medicines is safe, as it prevents accidental use by children and animals, and checks abuse.
Powerful narcotic pain relievers (e.g. morphine, codeine) and other controlled sub¬stances (drugs for insomnia, anxiety, etc.) can cause great harm. In some cases, just one dose may be fatal if taken by the wrong person. As a precautionary measure, these unused medicines should be disposed down the sink or in the toilet.
Sharp (hazardous) waste like syringes (insulin) and broken ampoules should be collected in puncture-proof and leak-proof containers, such as high-density polyethylene boxes, metallic cans, or barrels. When the container is three-quarters full, materials such as cement mortar, bituminous sand, plastic foam, or clay should be poured until the container is completely filled. After the materials become dry, the container should be sealed and may be landfilled, stored, or buried suitably.
Flushing unwanted medicines prevents accidental use by children and animals as well as their abuse.
Cytotoxic (anti-cancer) drugs should not be disposed in house trash. Health-care items such as needles from infusion sets or syringes and protective gloves contaminated with cytotoxic drugs used during cancer treatments at home should be packaged safely and transferred to the treating physician for proper disposal.
Many people, even those residing in municipalities, do not have the luxury of tossing household trash into municipal containers. If so, the waste can be burnt in a pit, and the residue buried in the same pit. This type of disposal system is recommended by WHO as the last resort, and is commonly observed in primary health care facilities in Nepal. As recommended by WHO, such pits should be far from the sources of drinking water and should be marked and fenced to prevent the entry of unauthorized persons and animals.
The disposal methods outlined above may not be ideal, yet they are useful in a country like Nepal with inadequate infrastructure for safe disposal of healthcare waste. The overriding principle in healthcare waste management is, “Doing something is better than doing nothing”. The methods outlined here should be regarded as provisional, which should be improved upon to devise ideal disposal methods.
The author is University Grant Commission Nepal PhD fellowship Scholar
sudeshgy@hotmail.com
Related story
Javed Akhtar threatened Kangana to say sorry to Hrithik, Mahesh...
