Drug-pollution law all washed up

Gilbert, Natasha

doi:10.1038/491503a

Cited by 40 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The pharmaceutical compounds may contaminate water reservoirs and aquifers, and pollute drinking water, in addition to contamination of ecological systems [8]. Data shows that pharmaceuticals are present in drinking water sources [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Barnett-Itzhaki

Berman

Grotto

et al. 2016

Isr J Health Policy Res

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BackgroundLarge amounts of expired and unused medications accumulate in households. This potentially exposes the public to hazards due to uncontrolled use of medications. Most of the expired or unused medications that accumulate in households (household medical waste) is thrown to the garbage or flushed down to the sewage, potentially contaminating waste-water, water resources and even drinking water. There is evidence that pharmaceutical active ingredients reach the environment, including food, however the risk to public health from low level exposure to pharmaceuticals in the environment is currently unknown. In Israel, there is no legislation regarding household medical waste collection and disposal. Furthermore, only less than 14 % of Israelis return unused medications to Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) pharmacies.MethodsIn this study, we investigated world-wide approaches and programs for household medical waste collection and disposal.ResultsIn many countries around the world there are programs for household medical waste collection. In many countries there is legislation to address the issue of household medical waste, and this waste is collected in hospitals, clinics, law enforcement agencies and pharmacies. Furthermore, in many countries, medication producers and pharmacies pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste, following the “polluter pays” principle.ConclusionsSeveral approaches and methods should be considered in Israel: (a) legislation and regulation to enable a variety of institutes to collect household medical waste (b) implementing the “polluter pays” principle and enforcing medical products manufactures to pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste. (c) Raising awareness of patients, pharmacists, and other medical health providers regarding the health and environmental risks in accumulation of drugs and throwing them to the garbage, sink or toilet. (d) Adding specific instructions regarding disposal of the drug, in the medication label and leaflet. (e) Examining incentives for returning medications to pharmacies. (f) Examining drug collection from deceased in retirement homes and hospitals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13584-016-0108-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Barnett-Itzhaki

Berman

Grotto

et al. 2016

Isr J Health Policy Res

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“…England and Wales would have to spend some 41 billion dollars to install new systems, plus 15 billion more over the course of the following ten years. Even in the face of such high costs, some authors believe that the retrofitting would be positive, bringing additional benefits: using the technology, wastewater treatment would remove many other pollutants that have caused concern 7,42 .…”

Section: Hemicentrotus Pulcherrimus/strongylocentrotus Nudusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A more detailed look at 17α-ethinylestradiol shows that before its inclusion on the list of priority substances, this synthetic estrogen was the target of some discussion, and a limit of 0.035ng.L -1 was finally proposed for its concentration in water bodies. This proposed limit considered a series of studies on its ecotoxicological effects 7,42 . Figure 1 shows the potential adverse effects in fish associated with different concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol in surface waters.…”

Section: Hemicentrotus Pulcherrimus/strongylocentrotus Nudusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As for the quality of water for human consumption in EU member countries, the main goal of Directive 98/83/ANDC of November 1998 is to protect human health from the harmful Adverse effects in fish associated with different concentrations of 17α-ethinylestradiol in surface waters 7 .…”

Section: Hemicentrotus Pulcherrimus/strongylocentrotus Nudusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Table 1 lists studies from the last 15 years on the effects of exposure to 17α-ethinylestradiol in various species in different life phases. The most alarming adverse effect is feminization -the development of female sex characteristics, including female reproductive anatomy 7 . This process compromises the affected population's reproductive cycle and can trigger an imbalance in its ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regulamentação do estrogênio sintético 17α-etinilestradiol em matrizes aquáticas na Europa, Estados Unidos e Brasil

et al. 2016

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O estrogênio sintético 17α-etinilestradiol, principal componente utilizado em formulações de contraceptivos orais, tem sido apontado como um dos principais compostos responsáveis por provocar efeitos adversos no sistema endócrino de várias espécies. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o estado da arte dos dispositivos legais e normativos referentes ao controle desse estrogênio sintético nas águas da Europa e dos Estados Unidos, e traçar um paralelo com a realidade brasileira. No geral, os países têm buscado ampliar a regulamentação e monitoramento de alguns micropoluentes emergentes que antes não eram objeto de atenção por parte dos dispositivos legais. A Europa está mais avançada no que tange à qualidade dos corpos hídricos, enquanto que nos Estados Unidos esta substância é alvo de regulamentação apenas para a água destinada ao consumo humano. No Brasil, ainda não há nenhum dispositivo legal ou normativo que aborde esse estrogênio, o que pode ser associado a uma baixa maturidade do sistema brasileiro quanto ao controle de poluentes hídricos.

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Environmental Chemicals Targeting Estrogen Signaling Pathways

Khetan¹

2014

Endocrine Disruptors in the Environment

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Drug-pollution law all washed up

Cited by 40 publications

References 5 publications

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Regulamentação do estrogênio sintético 17α-etinilestradiol em matrizes aquáticas na Europa, Estados Unidos e Brasil

Environmental Chemicals Targeting Estrogen Signaling Pathways

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