HIV and Oral Health: Pharmaceutical Hazardous Waste Goes Into Effect

By: Mark Schweizer, DDS MPH
Director of Development and Special Projects
Dental Director Southeastern AIDS Training and Education Center
Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine
[email protected]

Effective August 21, dental facilities and other health care businesses that generate pharmaceutical hazardous waste are required to manage those products according to the provisions of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Final Rule.

The finalized rule prohibits health care facilities from disposing of pharmaceutical hazardous waste by pouring them down drains or into sewers in a practice commonly known as “sewering.”

Banning the drain disposal of hazardous waste is expected to keep between 1,644 and 2,300 tons of pharmaceutical waste out of the environment every year,” Dr. Van Scoyoc said. “As a result, the EPA anticipates that the rule will lessen the negative effect of hazardous waste pharmaceutical on aquatic ecosystems and on fish and animal populations.”

For Dental Practices this means that anesthetic carpules can no longer be disposed of in sharps containers (unless broken). They must be disposed of in pharmaceutic waste containers.