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Destruction of Controlled Substances and Unused Prescriptions.
Note. The Michigan Pharmacists Association’s October 2006 issue of ‘Doses’ featured a lead article on the subject of the disposal of controlled substances. The disposal of all unused prescriptions, and even other medicines, is a growing concern among public health officials, municipal public works directors, elected officials, and pharmacists themselves. The following comes from the Michigan Pharmacists Association and is reprinted with permission.
Many hospitals and long term care facilities currently dispose of excess material in syringes and IV bags by pouring it down drains that pass into sewer systems. The two largest sources of pharmaceuticals entering the sewer systems are believed to be from hospitals and households. Wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove conventional pollutants, such as suspended solids and biodegradable organic material, but they are not designed to remove low concentrations of synthetic pollutants, such as pharmaceuticals. Careful consideration should be given to eliminating drain disposal of unused IVs and other drugs.
Disposal in landfills of nonhazardous pharmaceutical waste should be avoided due to environmental and security reasons. Drugs added to the landfill will eventually leach into groundwater, unless immediately rendered nonrecoverable in some way.
The Detroit regional office of the DEA, in compliance with the State of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, recommends the following methods of destruction:
- Making arrangements with a DEA-approved Reverse Distributor;
- Making arrangements with a DEA-approved registrant for the use of an incinerator;
- Making arrangements with a state approved waste treatment facility;
- Destroying substances on site by dissolving tablets in water or nontoxic fluids, then pouring the dissolved mixtures and all other fluids into kitty litter, allowing to harden, and discarding.