Become a Fan
Follow us on Twitter
Pharmaceuticals in Water Stream
Posted by Walt Vernon on December 23, 2009 at 12:48pm
The EPA and FDA are starting to take a closer look at the issue of pharmaceuticals in the water system.
For the past several years, the EPA, in particular, has given increasing levels of scrutiny to the issue of pharmaceuticals in the waste water stream.
In general, the waste water treatment plants now serving our municipal waste water streams do not take care of pharmaceuticals. So, when we dump them into the drains, or when they get land-filled, they leech into the waterways. This is a problem of large dimension. One way to work on this problem is to help households to better dispose of their unused pharmaceuticals, but many pharmaceuticals are being used only within hospitals. Some of these are anti-biotics of last resort against certain kinds of pathogens.
The EPA has started studying the issue of pharmaceuticals in the waste stream, and is looking at 125 pharmaceuticals so as to determine whether these substances need to be regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. To date, these regulations have never included pharmaceuticals, but these substances now make up about 13% of substances on what they call their Contaminant Candidate List. At the same time, the EPA has provided research grants for organizations working to develop new treatment methods for water to take care of these problems. It is not likely that any regulations will go into force until 2012 or later, but it is something to start paying attention to.
I think healthcare organizations can help mitigate the problem by effective drug take-back programs, and by avoiding dumping substances into the water stream. I know that some researchers around the world are developing new water treatment methods that could be deployed on-site for hospitals. In the near term, these kinds of facilities might be most economical in areas where water is scarce, and potentially, rising in cost, as they can allow reuse of the water in non-potable functions.
If you are a hospital who wants to follow the good path, you should be sure your drug take-back programs are working effectively, and that you are avoiding the improper disposal of any drugs (by the way, I do not pretend to be an expert at drug disposal, but at engineering systems and regulations!) If you want to follow a better path, you should be thinking about potential on-site water treatment systems, and, if you are in an area of low water levels and higher water costs, you should be thinking about ways to re-use water. Or, working with your local water treatment facility to ensure that they are properly treating their waste water, and perhaps providing municipal waste water.
Again, regulation is not imminent; but effective action by the healthcare community - acting responsibly - can help to show there is no need for further regulation.
Subscribe to our Newsfeed