As you spring clean this year, don't forget to go through your medicine cabinet and remove any expired or unnecessary medications. It is dangerous to continue using expired medicines because they may no longer be effective or may be harmful to your body. Also, using medication equipment (such as needles) around you could harm yourself or others. Fortunately, it's easy to safely dispose of these items.
improper disposalYou should never dispose of medications that are no longer needed or have expired by flushing them down the drain, flushing them down the toilet, or throwing them in the trash without making special preparations. This is how chemicals find their way into soil, waterways, and groundwater. When used needles are thrown away, they can puncture garbage bags, causing leaks and injuring sanitation workers picking up the garbage. Needles flushed down the toilet can clog your home's plumbing or your local water treatment plant's equipment. However, the FDA notes that some medications are so popular for misuse and so deadly that they must be flushed out if none of the disposal methods described in the accompanying article are possible. It points out that there is. Drugs on the FDA Flash List include drugs containing opioids, such as those whose labels include the words “hydrocodone,” “buprenorphine,” “fentanyl,” or “oxycodone,” as well as diazepam rectal gel. Includes certain non-opioids such as Methylphenidate patches and drugs with the words “sodium oxybate” on them. However, some communities do not allow this behavior. For more information on disposing of medicines that meet all regulations, please contact your local health or sanitary department. |
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