Disposal of medication

Health officials are increasingly concerned about disposal of infectious, radioactive, and toxic medical wastes that have become major components in the treatment and diagnosis of many diseases. Legal complications in handling medical wastes are another issue. There are, for example, no federal regulations for disposal of medical waste. State and local regulations are widely divergent. 

Seehusen D.A. and J. Edwards (2006). Patient practices and beliefs concerning disposal of medications. Journal of American Board of Family Medicine 19 542-547. 

Strict policies exist that govern how unused medications and supplies are disposed of. Here are steps you should follow when disposing of medication ... 

Dispose of medication in the sink, toilet, or appropriate container, and not in the trash. 

This practice can be costly for the client who can t afford to purchase new medication when the old one appears to have expired. At the same time, clients should be reminded that old medications could prove ineffective and may be discarded after consultation with the pharmacist. If there arc two dates on a prescription bottle, the earlier is the one most likely put there by the drug manufacturer and is the one that should be followed. Care should always be taken when disposing of medications. Remind clients that it is better to flush them down the toilet than to simply throw them in the trash. 

Most exposure to cobalt-60 takes place intentionally during medical tests and treatments. Such exposures are carefully controlled to avoid the adverse health impacts and to maximize the benefits of medical care. Accidental exposures may occur as the result of loss or improper disposal of medical and industrial radiation. sources. Though relatively rare, exposure has also occurred by accidental mishandling of a source at a metal recycling facility or steel mill. 

Remediation. Many companies specialize in hazardous-waste remediation by providing a variety of disposal services and equipment, not limited to catalytic oxidizers and carbon adsorption systems. Remediation includes reduction and cleanup of hazardous wastewater by using oil-water separators to separate oil and solids from wastewater effluents of petroleum-based industries. Other hazardous-vwiste remediation services include demolition and removal of hazardous materials such as asbestos, removal of leaky fuel tanks, cleanup of contaminated sods, and the construction of slurry walls to aid in the remediation of groundwater that is polluted with hazardous waste. Bioremediation is also a growing field that involves disposal of medical and laboratory wastes often by using microorganisms to break down the hazardous materials. 

At the end of this life cycle, a medical device must be properly disposed following the indications of the manufacturer and the regulatory classification. In fact, an incorrect disposal of medical device could result in injury for the personnel that handle the device during the disposal operations. For example, scaffolds that have been treated with human cells or tissues can be a source of infective viruses or bacteria for the operators and the environment. 

M. ModeU, "Detoxification and Disposal of Hazardous Organic Chemicals by Processing with Supercritical Water," Pinal Report, U.S. Medical Research and Development Command, 1985. 

Plastics are found in implants and components for reconstmctive surgery, as components in medical instmments, equipment, packaging materials, and in a wide array of medical disposables. Plastics have assumed many of the roles once restricted to metals and ceramics. 

Concerns over safe handling of radioactive materials and issues around the cost and disposal of low level radioactive waste has stimulated the development of nonradiometric products and technologies with the aim of replacing radioactive tracers in research and medical diagnosis (25). However, for many of the appHcations described, radioactive tracer technology is expected to continue to be widely used because of its sensitivity and specificity when compared with colorimetric, fluorescent, or chemiluminescent detection methods. 

While this book is focused on drug delivery, the value of biodegradable polymers is not limited to this field. Biodegradable polymers will be useful in other areas of medical therapeutics, such as sutures and bone plates and other types of prostheses. The polymers will also be useful in nonmedical fields, for disposable plastics, bottles, diapers and many other entities. 

Have you ever wondered about the content of the small packets of granules included in boxes of new electronic devices, leather products, or medications Or have you simply heeded the warning label to dispose of the sachet immediately The granular desiccants in these packets have particular physical properties that enhance their function as drying agents. A look at the chemical structure or chemical properties of these materials provides a better understanding of their capacity to control moisture. 

Potential obstacles for the large-scale application of phytoremediation technologies, however, include the time required for remediation, the pollutant levels tolerated by the plants used, the disposal of the contaminated plants, and the fact that only the bioavailable fraction of the contaminants will be treated. This means that phytoremediation does not achieve 100% removal or reduction of the contaminants From the ecological, toxicological, and medical (health) points of view, the... 

Its process technology BioProcess Container (BPC ) Systems are sterile, disposable bags of medical grade film. They are used for transport, dispensing, and storage of sterile liquids. Customized versions of BPC are also offered. 

Remove all clothing and personal effects. Items that will be retained for further processing should be double sealed in impermeable containers, ensuring that the inner container is decontaminated before placing it in the outer one. Otherwise, dispose of contaminated articles at an appropriate medical waste disposal facility. 

Physicians who have drug problems sometimes use a process called harvesting in order to obtain the medications for their own personal use. Harvesting occurs when a physician (seemingly innocendy) asks a patient to return any unused pain or other type of mood-altering medications to the physician. The physician will tell a patient that this is for his or her protection to take away the threat of accidental use of the medicines by someone in the household. The physician will offer to dispose of the medicine properly so that it is out of the household. However, the medicines will likely be used by the physician instead of being wasted. Patients should understand that since they have paid for (or their insurance has paid for) those medicines, it is unethical for a physician to ask for them in the first place, and such a request should warn of a problem. 

For those VHF viruses that can be transmitted from one victim to another person, response and medical personnel should avoid close physical contact with the victim and his or her body fluids. Barrier nursing or infection control techniques include isolating infected persons, wearing protective clothing, disinfection, and disposal of instruments and equipment used for the treatment of VHF, including needles and thermometers. Special Precautions are a must do factor when responding to or caring for viral hemor-... 

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