INTRODUCTION:

Approximately 170,000 public water systems are monitored for nearly 80 harmful substances. The prohibited nastiest include bacteria, viruses, pesticides, petroleum products, strong acids, and some metals. But water quality experts and environmental advocates are increasingly concerned about another kind of water pollution: chemicals from prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications that get into lakes, rivers, and streams. Water also gets contaminated by perfume, cologne, skin lotions, and sunscreens that wash off people's skin. They keep unused drugs out of the water and prevent diversion of drugs, mainly the opioid painkillers, for recreation and illegal purposes.

PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE:

Definition-Pharmaceutical waste includes expired, unused, spilt, and contaminated Pharmaceutical products, drugs, vaccines, and sera that are no longer required and need to be disposed of appropriately. The category also includes discarded items used in the handling of pharmaceuticals, such as bottles or boxes with residues, gloves, masks, connecting tubing, and drug vials.

E.g.:-Waste containing pharmaceuticals-pharmaceuticals are that expired or no longer needed; Items contaminated by or containing pharmaceuticals [e.g. Bottles and boxes etc.]

The sources:

Collection data from a medication collection program in California in 2007 suggest that about half of all medications— both prescription and over-the-counter — are discarded. Even the real proportion is lower; there is a lot of unused medication that can potentially get into the water.

How Proper Disposal of Medicines Protects You and The Earth:

Medications can contribute the pollution problems. Health care institutions and Agriculture are another source of pharmaceutical water pollution. Some hormones and antibiotics leach into groundwater or get into waterways. And hospitals are less probable than some nursing homes are responsible for water pollution. In United States, most unused or unwanted medicines are either flushed down the toilet (35%) or placed in the trash (54%). A major portion of these chemicals are removed by (99.9%) by traditional wastewater treatment plant process and 41 to 99% estrogens are removed in 2007 by this process. When leaving daily estrogens loads in the effluent ranging from 2 to 167 mg/d. Waste water treatment plant that applies microfiltration followed by reverse osmosis advanced process.

POLLUTION:

Effects on fish and wildlife numerous studies have shown that oestrogens and chemicals behave like a feminizing effect on male fish and can alter female-to-male ratios. The human exposure to PPCPs from the environment is a complex function of many factors like the concentrations, types, and distribution of pharmaceuticals in the environment; the pharmacokinetics of each drug; the structural transformation of the chemical compounds, metabolism or natural degradation processes; and the potential bioaccumulation of the drugs. The increased presence of oestrogens and other synthetic hormones in water waste due to birth control, hormonal therapies has been linked to increased feminization of exposed fish and other aquatic organisms. The chemicals within these PPCP products shows effect of the feminization or masculinisation of different fishes, therefore impacting their reproductive rates. Does not only the pollution from PPCPs affect marine ecosystems, but also those habitats depend on this polluted water.

OBJECTIVES OF PHARMACEUTICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT:

In Drinking Water Sources:

· To prevent poisoning of children and pets.

· To deter misuse by teenagers and adults.

· To avoid health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well

· To keep medicines from entering streams and rivers when poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet

· To use septic tanks, prescription and over-the-counter drugs flushed down the toilet can leach into the ground and seep into ground water.

· In cities and towns where residences are connected to wastewater treatment plants, prescription and To over-the-counter drugs poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet can pass through the treatment

· Rivers and lakes. They may flow downstream to serve as sources for community drinking water supplies.

· The water treatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines. Illegible before you throw the bottles away. This measure is taken to protect your identity.

· Do not flush unused medications.

· If you ask your pharmacist about take-back programs.

GUIDELINES FOR DRUG DISPOSAL:

According to the FDA and the Office of National Drug Control Policy

· To follow any specific disposal instructions on the prescription drug labelling or patient information that accompanies the medicine.

· Do not flush medicines down the sink or toilet unless this information specifically instructs to you do so.

· To take advantage of community drug take-back programs that allow the public to bring unused drugs to a central location for proper disposal.

· To call your city or county government's household trash and recycling service to see if a take-back program is available in your community.

The ONDCP in 2007 prescription drug disposal guidelines-

· Flush prescription drugs down the toilet only if the labelled specifically instructs doing so.

· Dispose of unused prescription drugs through pharmaceutical take-back programs if is available.

There are two methods of dispose of unused medications-

STRATEGIES OR METHODES-

1. Disposing of most medications.

2. Disposing of potentially dangerous medications.

Method1. Disposing of Most Medications-

v Don’t flush most medications. -In recent years discovered by, that flushing certain medications that contain hormones, antibiotics, and other substances can lead to contamination of groundwater, surface water and other detrimental effects. Instead of flushing these medications, the safest way to dispose of them is to distinguish them and then throw away with your trash.

· To carefully read the packaging on the medication and look for instructions on safe disposal

· There are certain medications are considered as to be too potentially harmful to throw out with the trash.

· If the medication is a highly controlled substances that cause severe medical harm to someone else if they were to ingest it, the FDA recommend as flushing it or disposing of it in the another way.

· If you are not sure whenever the medication you want to get rid of is considered to be highly controlled so, ask your pharmacist what to do.

v Mix medications with kitty litter or coffee grounds.-To mix either pills or liquids with an undesirable substance like kitty litter or coffee grounds will make it much less likely that a child or household pet will find and ingest the substance. If the pills are large or brightly coloured, crush them or dissolve them before mixing them with other substances.

v Place the mixture in a plastic bag and seal it -This extra level of protection is another way to made a sure the medication won't fall into the wrong hands.

v Throw the bag away with your trash. -So, once the medication are thoroughly distinguished and sealed in a bag, simply throw it out with your trash.

v Remove the labels from the empty medicine bottles.

Method 2: Disposing of Potentially Dangerous Medications-

v Determine whether your medication is considered potentially dangerous. -The FDA has published by a list of medications that it recommends as against throwing away with the trash. If were to find and ingest these medications, he or she could face serious health consequences.

v Look into community drug disposal programs- Many communities have programs that allow bringing in unused or expired medications so that they can be disposed medication of safely and properly.

· To call a local pharmacy and to find out if they can dispose of your medication.

· In some states, although not all, they have an unused medication disposal program that the pharmacies themselves may be use to dispose of outdated medications.

· To consider donating your unused or expired medications to third world countries. There are organizations you can find online. Alternatively, consider contacting your local Emergency Rooms, occasionally they will collect usable supplies and medications for donation out-country.

· Specifically to call your local trash service - they might have household waste facilities that will incinerate the medications.

· Generally to Contact your local hospital or medical centre who will place unused medications into their Bio Hazard containers for incineration.

· All hospitals have this option so there is do not a need to toss or flush unused or expired medication.

v Flush if you have no other options-If your medication is on the FDA is list by the medications that should not be thrown out, and you have no other immediate way of disposing of them, Flushing is may be the best optio n.

CONCLUSION:

The objective behind considering this topic for review was to explore the present scenario behind the Pharmaceutical waste and their counter-effects. Alike Plastic waste management, central and state government should have a proper action plan behind the waste management of pharmaceuticals as well. Before considering or caring healthcare system of human being whether in group or individual we should rather think of balancing ecosystem. If at all, there is damaged ecosystem it can directly act on global healthcare system. One should take care while managing the waste products of pharmaceutical by the prescribed methods in this article and we should promote these methods by different programs.

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Received on 14.03.2015 Accepted on 11.04.2015

Asian J. Pharm. Res. 5(2): April-June 2015; Page 118-121

DOI: 10.5958/2231-5691.2015.00018.0

*Corresponding Author E-mail: poonampatil365@gmail.com