It
is the usual tendency to throw the unused and expired medicines in the
household trash, which is then collected by the waste collector or thrown into
vacant plots in the neighborhood or on the streets. But this is approach to
drug disposal is hazardous to the environment and thence to life.
Through
the waste (in the open or landfills), these medicines may pollute water sources
and also enter the soil. There are chances of accidental exposure to these
medicines for waste pickers or children. Then, there is the hypothetical risk
of these drugs being recycled back into the market.
Unused
and expired medicines are considered as “domestic hazardous waste” in India as
per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. These new rules mandate segregation
of waste at source into biodegradable, non-biodegradable (recyclable and
combustible), sanitary waste and domestic hazardous wastes.
“direct waste generators not to litter i.e throw or dispose of any waste
such as paper, water bottles, liquor bottles, soft drink cans, tetra packs,
fruit peel, wrappers, etc., or burn or burry waste on streets, open public
spaces, drains, waste bodies and to segregate the waste at source as prescribed
under these rules and hand over the segregated waste to authorised the waste
pickers or waste collectors authorised by the local body”
The
rules also require the local authorities to ensure door to door collection of
segregated solid waste from all households and transport it in covered vehicles
to the processing or disposal facilities.
Biomedical
Waste Management Rules, 2016 categorize Discarded or Expired Medicine
Pharmaceutical waste like antibiotics, cytotoxic drugs including all items
contaminated with cytotoxic drugs along with glass or plastic ampoules, vials
etc. in the yellow category, which are to be discarded in the yellow coloured
non-chlorinated Plastic Bags
The
US FDA has listed three disposal methods for unused or expired medicines:
·
Medicine take-back options
·
Disposal in the household trash and
·
Flushing certain potentially dangerous medicines
in the toilet
Medicine
take-back option is the preferred option to safely dispose
of most types of unneeded medicines. This can be done via temporary collection
sites or authorized permanent collection sites, which may be available in may
be in retail pharmacies, hospital or clinic pharmacies, and law enforcement
facilities.
The
FDA has laid down simple steps when considering disposal in the household trash
·
Mix medicines (do not crush tablets or capsules) with
an unpalatable substance such as dirt, cat litter, or used coffee grounds;
·
Place the mixture in a container such as a sealed
plastic bag;
·
Throw the container in your household trash; and
·
Delete all personal information on the prescription
label of empty pill bottles or medicine packaging, then dispose of the
container.
Some
medicines such as fentanyl patches, diazepam have specific instructions
to immediately flush down the toilet when no longer needed and a
take-back option is not readily available. The FDA has created a list of
medicines recommended for disposal by flushing that are no longer needed and
when take-back options are not readily available.
In
an article published in 2017 in the journal Science of the Total Environment,
the FDA examined the risks associated with the environmental release of 15
active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) currently on its "flush list”.
The FDA concluded that most of these APIs present a negligible
eco-toxicological risk, although some additional data would be helpful for
confirming this finding for some of these medicines. And, all 15 APIs present
negligible risk through ingestion of water and fish (Sci Total Environ. 2017
Dec 31;609:1023-1040).
It
is important to be aware of the drug disposal methods to avoid potential harm
to the community. Patients should be counselled about safe drug disposal.
India
has the rules and regulations in place for safe drug disposal, but they need to
be implemented strictly.
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart Care Foundation of
India
Past National President
IMA
