Medications at school: disposing of pharmaceutical waste.
BACKGROUND
This project quantified and categorized medications left unclaimed by students at the end of the school year. It determined the feasibility of a model medication disposal program and assessed school nurses' perceptions of environmentally responsible medication disposal.


METHODS
At a large urban school district all unclaimed medications were collected at the end of a school year to determine the extent and nature of this problem. Nurses documented unclaimed medications and transported them to a central district location. An environmentally responsible medication disposal program, consisting of sealed containers bound for a local hospital's disposal system, was implemented.


RESULTS
In a school district of approximately 133,000 students, there were 926 different medications abandoned at the end of a school year brought to a central disposal area. Nurses complied with the newly implemented protocol. Information collected from nurses indicates acceptance of the program. Disposal of unclaimed medications at a central location, use of secured containers, and transportation to a hospital for environmentally responsible disposal proved to be feasible and acceptable to the staff.


CONCLUSIONS
Unclaimed medications at school each year pose a potentially huge environmental risk when disposed of improperly. It is feasible to implement an environmentally responsible medication disposal protocol at schools.
Professor of Pediatrics, (htaras@ucsd.edu), Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, #0927, La Jolla, CA 02093-0927.
Howard
H
Taras
Nina M
NM
Haste
Angela T
AT
Berry
Jennifer
J
Tran
Renu F
RF
Singh
D002140:California; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017744:Medical Waste Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000145:classification; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012573:School Nursing; D012574:Schools
D017744:Medical Waste Disposal; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
disposal; medications; school health environment; school nurses