Physician Practice

Pharmaceutical waste regulations complicate disposal

Medical Environment Update, May 1, 2009

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Although new legislation may be on the horizon, current rules lack awareness and cause confusion

If your brain starts spinning every time you must throw away pharmaceutical waste, don’t worry; you’re not alone.

In 1976, Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), authorizing the EPA to promulgate regulations to control the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste.

For healthcare facilities, this meant significant oversight for pharmaceutical waste.

The RCRA has classified drugs as P-listed (acutely hazardous drugs) or U-listed (hazardous drugs).

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Medical Environment Update.

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