Health care providers practice with the commitment to First Do No Harm. The reality is that this requires an additional commitment to the precautionary principle, for harm turns out to be much more complex an issue than maltreatment of an individual patient. The presentation will focus on what is known and unknown about Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) found in the water and the efficacy of different drug disposal methods, including discussion of a life-cycle analysis of three different methods of household drug disposal recommended by the federal government. Currently the national effort has been focused on take-back programs that have the dual purpose of reducing the epidemic of abuse of prescription drugs and the “safe” disposal through collection and incineration. Unfortunately there is no conclusive evidence that this approach will lessen the human health, environmental health risks and impacts and it may increase societal costs. Since 2008, when the AP published a series of articles about APIs found in drinking water, public concern over this issue has escalated. There is a role for health care systems and health care professionals to begin to look at more sustainable ways to manage human health and environmental risks posed by the improper disposal of unused medications.A recent life cycle analysis of three disposal methods for unused pharmaceuticals concluded that trash disposal of pharmaceuticals in the home would have the least environmental footprint when compared with tack-back programs with an end-point of incineration and/or disposal to the sewer. Further discussion is needed.
No comments:
Post a Comment