Expired Pharmaceutical Products: Where Do Hospitals Throw Them Away?
4/26/2022
The expiry date is a specified period where a pharmaceutical product can be used best, after which it is considered unfit for human consumption. With the massive production of pharmaceutical products around the globe and the degree of quality, it has to maintain most medicines and drugs were taken off the shelf of pharmacies and hospitals even before their expiration dates.
The periodic checking, mandatory examination, and sorting of the expiry dates is one major activity a pharmacist and his staff does. You may be asking, where do hospitals throw away expired pharmaceutical products?
When a certain pharmaceutical product is past its expiry date, these are some of the disposal methods used by hospitals:
● High Incineration Facilities
This is considered the best way to dispose of expired pharmaceutical products. It is equipped with adequate emission control, is set above 1,200 degrees Celsius, can only be found in highly industrialized countries, and is costly to employ.
● Return to Donor or Manufacturer
When medicines are received in hospitals, especially as a donation, and it is nearing their expiration date, the best option is to return them to the manufacturer because they have a safer way of disposing of their products.
● Landfill
This involves putting expired medicines in a dumping site without employing any treatment or any other preparation.
● Waste Immobilization
This is done by letting the drugs and medicine stay in a big container and be covered with lime and cement.
● Burning in open containers
This is employed for the packaging only of pharmaceutical products. This kind of product may not be burned in the low-temperature setting, for they emit pollutant impurities highly in the air.
Conclusion
Besides the intention to dispose of expired pharmaceutical waste, consideration as to the safety of human health and the environment should also be delved into when doing so.
The periodic checking, mandatory examination, and sorting of the expiry dates is one major activity a pharmacist and his staff does. You may be asking, where do hospitals throw away expired pharmaceutical products?
When a certain pharmaceutical product is past its expiry date, these are some of the disposal methods used by hospitals:
● High Incineration Facilities
This is considered the best way to dispose of expired pharmaceutical products. It is equipped with adequate emission control, is set above 1,200 degrees Celsius, can only be found in highly industrialized countries, and is costly to employ.
● Return to Donor or Manufacturer
When medicines are received in hospitals, especially as a donation, and it is nearing their expiration date, the best option is to return them to the manufacturer because they have a safer way of disposing of their products.
● Landfill
This involves putting expired medicines in a dumping site without employing any treatment or any other preparation.
● Waste Immobilization
This is done by letting the drugs and medicine stay in a big container and be covered with lime and cement.
● Burning in open containers
This is employed for the packaging only of pharmaceutical products. This kind of product may not be burned in the low-temperature setting, for they emit pollutant impurities highly in the air.
Conclusion
Besides the intention to dispose of expired pharmaceutical waste, consideration as to the safety of human health and the environment should also be delved into when doing so.