Being socially responsible : Proper Collection of Pharmaceuticals

  

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I recently read an article in the Boston Globe that spoke to the slow development of new pharmaceuticals to the marketplace. This articles main objective seemed to drum up support for a new government driven research and development center to spur the development of new drugs that would otherwise go untested and undeveloped.

In a world where our health and longevity is so focused on ideas like – What can we do to make new medications; new drugs to cure our diseases? We rarely stop and think about how to flip the coin over and focus on ideas like – What can we do so that we don’t need to develop these new medications? What can we do so that we won’t have to cure new disease? Today it is still more or less unknown that prolonged exposure too many of today’s chemicals has a short term effects on all of our senses. The simple things like the water we drink, and the environments that we are subjected to affect us every day. Sure everything is safe in moderation, but similar to the way stress takes a toll on us all; the day to day exposures of these materials are cumulative.

Pharmaceuticals have a positive impact on many of our lives. When I am having a rough day with my allergies I take my allergy medication. When most people feel pain, they take all sorts of painkillers that help us get through the day. As we become a more single use society we wind up with elevated levels of materials like waste packaging and plastics, etc. Now think about all of the excess waste materials that healthcare throws away each and every day. Plastics, Cleaning chemicals, aerosols, laboratory chemicals, and what I am most passionate about: Waste pharmaceuticals.

Today more than ever we have seen a regulatory motivation to collect pharmaceuticals from healthcare, but even more so are the individuals that I come across that are more interested in social responsibility. This social responsibility covers infrequently spoken about ideas such as education, and knowledge. It is more important than ever to understand the materials that you work with each and every day, and even more so when the waste products you generate have an effect on others lives.

If you and your hospital or healthcare organization has yet to construct a socially responsible pharmaceutical waste management program it might be because you don’t know where to start. That’s where I come in. If you’re interested in social responsibility, and the proper collection of waste pharmaceuticals feel free to comment on my blog; I am also always available by phone if you need help. Please feel free to contact me with questions.