The EPA Office of Compliance has released a Profile of the Healthcare Industry, part of its Sector Notebook Project which assists various industry sectors in pollution prevention, waste minimization, and regulatory compliance efforts. (click here for additional information)

 

The American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy reports on mounting evidence that employees who receive and handle chemotherapy drugs should wear gloves to reduce potential contamination. Also, H2E offers a Chemotherapy teleconference on Friday, March 11th. (click here for additional information)

 

As pharmaceutical waste management evolves, we’re evolving too! To better serve our clients, we’ve developed the PharmE™ trademark to identify our growing line of products and services. (click here for additional information)

 

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment presented an excellent teleconference on what you can expect during an EPA audit. Click here for the full news alert and a link to H2E's presentation.

 

The US Geological Survey has discovered developed eggs inside the sex organs of nine male smallmouth bass taken from the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, MD. The Potomac supplies drinking water for the Washington metropolitan area and upstream communities. (click here for additional information).

 

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will conduct comprehensive environmental compliance audits of all of its 16 hospitals and associated clinics in New York and New Jersey within two years, according to an agreement signed today between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the VA. (click here for additional information).

 

A study in Minnesota discovered the widespread presence of pharmaceuticals and organic wastewater contaminants in Minnesota waters. A separate study found Prozac, painkillers, and other pharmaceuticals in Canadian tap water. For additional details, click here.

 

PharmEcology® has received official assurance from the EPA that P and U listed drugs remaining in a discarded syringe would not be classified as a listed hazardous waste. (click here for additional information).

 

In June, the EPA cited Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY, $73,562 for hazardous waste violations including improper disposal of chemotherapy drugs. In addition, the State of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency began inspecting hospitals for improper handling of pharmaceutical waste. (click here for additional information).

 

PharmEcology® Associates, LLC was honored to receive a 2004 Champion for Change Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) at the April 13th CleanMed Conference. (click here for additional information).

 

EPA New England announced it has sent letters to over 250 hospitals announcing its plans to increase enforcement at New England hospitals. The news release notes the effort was based on findings of numerous violations in hospitals in Region 2 in New York and New Jersey. (click here for additional information).

 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has posted its long awaited hazardous drug alert: Preventing Occupational Exposures to Antineoplastic and other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings. (click here for additional information).

 

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center was recently cited for hazardous waste violations. EPA Region 2 is seeking $214,420 in fines for violations found during an inspection in March, 2003 which included improper storage and disposal of chemotherapy drugs. (click here for additional information).

 

To account for inflation, the EPA has adjusted the maximum penalty for RCRA violations from $27,500 per violation per day to $32,500 per violation per day. (click here for additional information).

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it will seek $64,349 in penalties from Atlantic Health System Inc., owner and operator of Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, New Jersey. (click here for the full news alert)

 

Drug Topics' Newsbreaks article covers the PharmE™ Waste Wizard, a "new service to help hospitals manage their drug waste." Reprinted with permission. (click here for the full news alert)

 

Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center in New York City will conduct a comprehensive environmental audit of its facilities under an agreement signed July 15 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. . . (click here for the full news alert)

 

North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., has agreed to pay $40,000 in penalties for improper handling and disposal of hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. . . (click here for the full news alert)

 

The Pharmaceutical Waste Survey was published by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Interagency Regulatory Analysis Committee, Pharmaceutical Workgroup.

This study is a first-of-its-kind attempt to examine the knowledge and awareness level of healthcare facilities in King County, Washington State, with respect to pharmaceutical waste management. (click here for the full news alert)

 

Pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and other organic wastewater contaminants found in 139 streams around the country made the headlines in March, 2002. Based on a U.S. Geological Survey study published in the March 15, 2002 issue of Environmental Science and Technology (ES&T) . . . (click here for the full news alert)