How Does Chemical Digestion Work? February 06, 2023 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal How does chemical digestion work in Drug Disposal? Rx Destroyer uses a patented formula that comes ready to use. It contains two major components: a specially tuned activated carbon and a chemically engineered solvent. The activated carbon component …
How To Dispose of Fentanyl Patches January 19, 2023 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal What is Fentanyl? According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning a substance that is synthesized in a laboratory and acts the same as a natural opioid in the brain to produce …
When Do I Need To Use a Hardener Packet With Rx Destroyer? January 05, 2023 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Your Frequently Asked Questions, Answered! WHAT IS A HARDENER PACKET? When your Rx Destroyer bottle is full, the Rx Destroyer Hardener Packet is a hardening agent that solidifies contents …
How To Host A Drug Take Back Day December 28, 2022 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal What are the benefits of a drug take back event? Did you know that in 2022, drug overdose is the leading cause of injury death in the U.S.? And the majority of those deaths are …
Limiting The Harmful Environmental Impact of Pharmaceutical Waste December 12, 2022 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal The improper destruction of pharmaceuticals can lead to lasting damage to our environment. Discover how to keep our water and land safe by disposing of drugs properly. Pharmaceuticals are designed to help people live longer, …
Why Local And Safe Drug Disposal Is Important In Rural Communities November 17, 2022 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Why Local And Safe Drug Disposal Is Important In Rural Communities Are you looking for ways to protect your community from the increasing dangers of opioid and prescription drug abuse? Whether you’re …
What Determines Hazardous and Non-Hazardous Pharmaceuticals November 02, 2022 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Pharmaceuticals are a necessary part of our society, but when they are no longer needed or have expired, it’s important to dispose of them properly. According to the EPA, the determination of what is considered hazardous pharmaceutical …
Medication Disposal Compliance February 5, 2024 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Long Term Effects of Improper Drug Disposal Improper disposal of medications poses significant risks to human health and the environment. The ramifications of careless disposal methods are multifaceted, impacting both human health and the environment. Several key aspects highlight the …
How Does Drug Scheduling Work? June 6, 2022 | Drug Scheduling The ongoing opiate epidemic has magnified the importance of discarding unused or expired drugs safely and legally, and the consequences for not doing so vary in their severity according to which “schedule” the DEA has placed a given drug. …
What To Know About Medical Waste Disposal May 27, 2022 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Who generates medical waste? Medical Waste is generated from hospitals, pharmacies, dentists, animal services, and more. A medical waste generator is typically a person or business involved in the following activities, listed by the City and …
Ensuring Safety: Emergency Medical Services and Controlled Substances Management March 4, 2024 | Implementing Stricter Drug Disposal Codes on EMS Providers Emergency Medical Services (EMS) professionals are entrusted with providing life-saving care in critical situations. Integral to their work is the management and administration of controlled substances, such as fentanyl, …
Proper waste segregation in long-term care facilities is one of the greatest challenges for these and many other healthcare facilities. A long-term care facility may be defined as different things such as a senior living community, an assisted living facility, a skilled nursing facility, a rehabilitation center, or a hospice …
The state of Kansas is home to approximately three million residents with more than 50 hospitals and surgical centers to serve the cities and towns. Every facility in each city and county is required to follow medical waste regulations including proper pharmaceutical waste disposal and documentation with cradle-to-grave traceability. Who …
New requirements for managing dangerous pharmaceutical waste went into effect on October 31, 2020, in the state of Washington under legislation WAC-173-303-555. The Department of Ecology in the state of Washington is the agency in charge of protecting the environment in the state and offers assistance to healthcare facilities to …
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a private, non-profit, organization although many standards issued by the USP are enforced at many regulatory agencies including the Joint Commission and individual state’s Boards of Pharmacy. The latest chapter, USP General Chapter <800>, provides standards for the safe handling of hazardous drugs in …
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issues regulations regarding the handling and disposing of controlled substances to ensure safety to the environment and to prevent these types of drugs from falling into the wrong hands. Healthcare facilities that must dispose of pharmaceuticals and controlled substances can face significant fines for improper …
Medical research laboratories often use controlled substances and many different pharmaceuticals during the course of research. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) regulate safe and compliant medication waste. The DEA has issued Code of Federal Regulations DEA 21 CFR related to compliance of medication disposal …
Maintaining a drug disposal system that is compliant to all DEA regulations is critical for facilities to prevent environmental contamination and drug diversion. All too frequently, healthcare workers are not properly trained on drug disposal practices that meet regulatory requirements and in some cases are even instructed to dispose …
Navigating the Dental Industries Role in the Ongoing Opioid Challenge March 04, 2024 | Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal The Crucial Role of Dentists in the Opioid Epidemic Dentists play a pivotal role in the opioid epidemic, serving as major prescribers of pain medications for various dental and oral surgical procedures. The …
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlines in the Code of Federal Regulations, CFR 40, standards such as Part 266 regarding the Management of Specific Types of Hazardous Waste Management Facilities with Subpart P relating specifically to Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals. The final rule titled the Management Standards for Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals …
Managing medications in jails and correctional facilities is a challenging task for nurses and medical staff. Add to that the many prescriptions that are given to inmates to self-administer as Keep-on-Person (KOP) medications and correctional nurses face many additional challenges. KOP Medications and Tips for Correctional Facility Nurses Administering medications …
Long-term care facilities can include a skilled nursing facility, an assisted living facility, a rehabilitation center, senior living, or hospice care. These types of facilities can face challenges with properly segregating pharmaceutical waste for compliant medication waste disposal. Long-term care facilities generate the same types of medical waste as hospitals …
Disposal of pharmaceutical waste in dental offices is regulated as medical waste which includes emergency drugs, patient prescriptions, partially used and expired over-the-counter medications. Specific requirements vary in different states, although dental practices in California must abide by some of the strictest medical waste regulations which include the following record-keeping, …
Nursing homes, long-term care facilities and hospitals are the largest generators of pharmaceutical waste in the United States, generating more than 84,000 tons of medication waste each year, according to an article in Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare. Disposing of pharmaceutical waste and nursing homes can be complex and confusing …
Controlled Substance Disposal Policy and Procedures An effective controlled substance disposal policy is mandatory to protect healthcare workers, patients and medical facilities. Healthcare workers are at an increased risk for drug diversion, a serious epidemic in the United States. Drug diversion in hospitals and healthcare facilities puts patients at risk …
The Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, is responsible for governing the regulations related to controlled substance (CS) disposal by ultimate users and registrants. 21 Code of Federal Regulations, CFR, outlines the rules for compliant CS waste procedures in 21 CFR Parts: 1300, 1301, 1304, 1305,1307, and 1317. Institutions both public and …
Healthcare providers are faced with unique challenges when it comes to handling and disposing of pharmaceutical waste. Nurses and healthcare workers handling controlled substances have responsibilities under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) including maintaining a properly documented chain of custody. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is tasked with enforcing the …
Disposing of chemotherapy waste raises a lot of questions even for those experienced in the industry. Questions always arise as to whether chemotherapy waste is considered hazardous waste or medical waste. With chemotherapy agents, there is not just one waste stream. There are chemotherapy agents classified as pharmaceutical waste and …
Pharmaceuticals and controlled substances are often used in medical research laboratories, requiring proper controls and disposal methods. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have issued Code of Federal Regulations regarding compliance to pharmaceutical waste disposal. These regulations apply to pharmaceutical waste from any industry including …
Properly disposing of expired medications is the main focus of any controlled substance (CS) waste program. Hospitals must have policies and procedures in place for the safe management and disposal of pharmaceutical waste for expired, discontinued or leftover medications. It is estimated that hospitals in the U.S. produce nearly 5.9 billion tons of medical waste each year.
Read more“Financial Considerations for an Effective CS Waste Program”
The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a non-profit, private organization with standards enforced throughout various regulatory agencies such as individual state’s Boards of Pharmacy and the Joint Commission. The USP’s latest chapter on managing hazardous drugs in the healthcare industry, USP<800>, provides comprehensive guidelines on managing the entire life cycle …
The Joint Commission is an independent, nonprofit organization that was founded in 1951 with a focus on continually improving health care for the public. The Joint Commission is the oldest and largest standards-setting, accrediting body in health care in the United States. Approximately 4,500 general, long-term acute, rehabilitation, children’s, psychiatric …
A controlled substance (CS) waste program which meets DEA compliance must adhere to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21, 40 and 42 pertaining to the regulations for drug waste disposal. Each registrant, facility, distributor and reverse distributor must ensure that they meet all facility, local, tribal, state and federal …
The laws under compliant DEA medication disposal regulations have changed considerably in recent years. In August of 2019, 40 CFR, the Code of Federal Regulations, went into effect which amends the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, RCRA. Prior to the 2019, 40 CFR ruling, flushing of hazardous pharmaceutical waste down …
Educating medical staff in various healthcare facilities and settings is critical for FDA medication disposal compliance. All too often, healthcare workers are not trained on the proper procedures for disposing of pharmaceuticals and simply throw leftover medications in the trash or are told to flush down a drain. There are …
The need for health care facilities to manage their controlled substance waste with compliance to DEA regulations has never been greater. With heightened awareness to the opioid epidemic and drug diversion, properly disposing of controlled substance (CS) waste effectively and safely is critical. Many health care facilities find CS waste …
