Category: News

By Erika Kimball, RN

Pharmaceutical waste is a big, expensive problem. Americans dispose of an estimated $1 billion worth of unused medications annually. Doing so wastes precious health resources, and pollutes the environment too.  A study in 2008 found the presence of pharmaceuticals in the water supply of 24 major municipalities nationwide.

As legislators push for stronger regulation including extended product responsibility for drug makers, the truth is that Big Pharma is big business that depends on throughput for profits.  If you don’t believe me, count the number of drug commercials you see in a 15-minute daytime television viewing. Global pharmaceutical sales were forecasted at $825 billion last year.  Pharmaceutical waste is viewed as an unfortunate bi-product of a profitable, innovative, and necessary industry.  But while some see an unfortunate bi-product, others see an untapped resource.

Read a news article about pharma-waste and you’ll likely read about looming regulation, environmental contamination, and the fight over who should foot the bill for cleanup.  But when Americans throw away $1Billion worth of meds annually, let us note that there is a billion dollars in the garbage can.  Knowing that pharmaceuticals now lace our water supply, does anyone else taste the slightest hint of money with each refreshing drink?  As American health care expenditures continue to grow, who will plug this huge leak in the system?

Public health advocates and business investors may have something to learn from Anesthesia gas collection company Blue Zone who has proven that pharmaceutical waste is not only un-necessary, but represents unmet profit potential.

Read the complete article at TriplePundit.com

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking input from stakeholders on national Sustainable Materials Management measurement.

NOTE:  The deadline for comments has been extended until Sept. 30, 2011 at 4:30 EDT.

http://go.usa.gov/krv

SUMMARY: EPA is soliciting stakeholder input regarding the efficacy and scope of the MSW Characterization Report called “Municipal Solid Waste in the United States” as part of a broader discussion about sustainable materials management. This information will be used to develop new measurement definitions and protocols for measurement of these materials, as well as the possible addition of construction and demolition (C&D) materials and non-hazardous industrial materials to the list of materials addressed in future efforts. This effort could lead to the creation of a new measurement report that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) will make publicly available.

Specific questions related to the way current EPA measurement data is used, definitions, and measurement methodology are sought and are fully explained in via the link above.

BACKGROUND LINKS:  EPA’s current national Characterization Reports are online at:

MSW: http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm

C&D:  http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/imr/cdm/pubs/cd-meas.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/generation/sqg/c&d-rpt.pdf

You can comment through the weblink or by sending an email to rcra-docket@epa.gov and reference Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2011-0178 in the email subject line and body.

Please share this opportunity to comment with others who might be interested.

Thank you!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its Climate Ready Water Utilities Toolbox, which provides access to more than 500 resources that support climate adaptation planning at water utilities, including reports and publications, information about funding programs, upcoming workshops and training sessions, models and tools, and climate response materials that focus on mitigation and adaptive strategies. The toolbox is organized into two sections: one that provides a selection of resources from each category, along with a map to help users select resources by geographic region; and a second section with a search function that helps users to select resources based on their location, the size and type of their utility, and resources of interest. The toolbox is available at:

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/climate/toolbox.html.

Today, the Department of Energy issued final energy efficiency standards for home refrigerators and freezers that will improve their efficiency by about 25% by 2014. These new standards, developed through a consensus process with manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmentalists, are expected to deliver more than $200 in electricity bill savings for the typical consumer over the lifetime of the refrigerator. Nationally, consumers are expected to save more than $21 billion on their energy bills through 2043 as a result of the standards announced today.

Full story

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) is announcing an extension to the comment period for the proposed rule on the definition of solid waste published in the Federal Register on July 22, 2011. EPA is proposing to revise certain exclusions from the definition of solid waste for hazardous secondary materials intended for reclamation that would otherwise be regulated under subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The purpose of these proposed revisions is to ensure that the recycling regulations, as implemented, encourage reclamation in a way that does not result in increased risk to human health and the environment from discarded hazardous secondary material. The comment period is being extended to October 20, 2011.

Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2010-0742 by one of the following methods:

http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.

E-mail: Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to RCRA-docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2010-0742.

Fax: Fax comments to: 202-566-9744, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-RCRA-2010-0742.

Information regarding these public meetings will also be posted at EPA’s Web site at: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/dsw/rulemaking.htm.

The Obama Administration just released a document that highlights the intent to clean up regulations throughout many of the departments and agencies.  I just read the EPA final plan.  See at http://www.whitehouse.gov/21stcenturygov/actions/21st-century-regulatory-system     If you go to this page, scroll down and on the right you will see EPA’s link for the final report after the various Departments are listed.

Featured plan:

The Environmental Protection Agency will soon propose a rule to reduce burdens on hazardous waste generators by moving from paper-based to electronic reporting, saving up to $126 million annually.
Read and Discuss on Slideshare | Download as PDF

On August 11, EPA issued an order directing E.I. DuPont de Nemours to halt the sale, use or distribution of DuPont’s Imprelis herbicide which was marketed to control weeds but reported to be harming trees such as Norway spruce and white pine.  This requirement ensures the safe production, handling, and application of the pesticide and prevents mislabeling.

For information on the order, go to www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/fifra/dupontimprelis.html

EPA’s investigation into Imprelis and damage to trees: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/imprelis.html

EPA has released a new action plan for researching chemicals used in spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation.  SPF insulation contains highly reactive chemicals that can cause skin, eye, and lung irritation, asthma, and chemical sensitization when absorbed through the skin or inhaled. When SPF is applied, both the ingredients and the byproducts of the process involve potentially toxic emissions that require protective measures for workers as well as any occupants.  Homeowners and others may unknowingly be exposed to risks from these chemicals.  The EPA chemical action plan is being developed under the Toxic Chemical Substances Act (TCSA).  EPA plans to look at reports of significant adverse health effects, consider a test rule requiring exposure monitoring studies, and consider additional chemical substances that may be present.  According to EPA, safe re-entry times put forward by manufacturers vary between 8 & 24 hours for one-component SPF and 23 & 72 hours for two-component SPF.  See http://epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/spf/when_is_it_safe_to_re-enter_after_spf_installation.html.

If you use SPF, follow current EPA recommendations for safety from the publication Quick Safety Tips for SPF Users (http://epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/spf/quick_safety_tips.html) and follow EPA’s Steps to Control Exposure (ttp://epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/spf/steps_to_control_exposure.html).

See http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/actionplans/mdi.html

and http://www.epa.gov/dfe/pubs/projects/spf/spray_polyurethane_foam.html.