An assessment of the current practice of community pharmacists for the disposal of medication waste in the United Arab Emirates: A deep analysis at a glance

ObjectiveThe study aimed to identify the current practice carried out by community pharmacists to dispose of expired medications in their workplace and assess any practical steps utilized to reduce medication waste.MethodA cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The participants were asked about their routine practice in disposing of different expired medications and the current actions taken to reduce the number of disposed medicines.ResultsThe study included (n = 418) community pharmacists. More than a third of expired liquid, solid, and semi-solid dosage forms were collected by licensed contractors. In addition, more than a third of the pharmacists disposed of different dosage forms via unauthorized methods (general garbage, sink and toilet). Most expired drugs were skin and hair products, antibiotics and analgesics. The majority of pharmacists (68.4 %, n = 286) agreed that expired pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products, other than those disposed of via contractor, should be done through a specialized centre. This opinion was found to be strongly associated with years of practice as community pharmacists (P < 0.05).ConclusionPart of the existing disposal practices for expired pharmaceutical products in the UAE is carried out by contractors licensed by health authorities. However, concern remains regarding some pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical products that have not been disposed of correctly. Additionally, there is a need for a specialized center for medication disposal (p < 0.05). A stock limitation is the best practice for managing medication quantities in stock (p < 0.05).     

Biomedical waste disposal practices among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in secondary and tertiary care facilities of Tamil Nadu

PurposeThe ongoing COVID-19 crisis has drastically changed the practice of biomedical waste (BMW) generation and management. Studies venturing into the facility level preparedness at various levels of healthcare delivery during pandemic situation is the need of the hour. Hence, we did this study to assess the BMW disposal practices amongst secondary and tertiary health facilities during COVID-19 pandemic in Tamil Nadu.Materials and methodsThis cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst doctors, nurses and allied healthcare staffs across various departments in 18 public health facilities across six districts of Tamil Nadu. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was done based on the random-intercept model to assess the determinants of BMW disposal practices. The effect size was reported as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsIn total, 2593 BMW disposal observations were made. During nearly three-fourth of the observations (73%), the BMW was disposed of appropriately. Nurses (aOR ?= ?1.54; 95%CI: 1.06–2.23) and doctors (aOR ?= ?1.60; 95%CI: 1.05–2.45), healthcare workers in Paediatrics department (aOR ?= ?1.77; 95%CI: 1.13–2.76), healthcare workers in inpatient department (aOR ?= ?2.77; 95%CI: 1.95–3.94) and injection outpatient department (aOR ?= ?2.69; 95%CI: 1.59–4.47) had significantly better odds of having appropriate BMW disposal practices.ConclusionOur study shows that nearly during three-fourth of the observations, healthcare workers performed appropriate BMW disposal practices. However, measures should be taken to achieve 100% compliance by healthcare workers especially the target groups identified in our study by allocating appropriate resources and periodically monitor the BMW disposal practices.     

Conversion of a renewable bio-resource to a functional composite material: Product design,comprehensive characterization and adsorption of 2,4-D herbicide

Based on the opinion of “utilizing waste resources to treat waste”, a sustainable resource waste was transformed into a useful and functional material by a comprehensive experimental setup. A high surface area lentil processing waste-based activated carbon was synthesized by microwave-assisted K₂CO₃ chemical activation and then successfully converted into a ferrospinel composite. The ferrospinel composite was characterized with BET, FTIR, XRD, XPS, FE-SEM, EDX mapping, Raman and VSM techniques and the detailed characterization analysis confirmed the successful formation of the ferrospinel composite. It was also applied as an effective adsorbent material in the treatment of 2,4-dichlorphenoxyacetic acid herbicide bearing wastewater. The pseudo-second order model better defined the kinetic pathway of the adsorption while the isothermal data indicated the best suitability to Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity of the ferrospinel composite towards 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was 400 mg/g at 45 °C. Thermodynamic studies showed the favorability and spontaneity of the adsorption process.     

Valorization of food processing wastes and by-products for bioplastic production

The global plastic production is reaching new altitudes every year. Growing production of petroleum-based plastics has incurred in disposal issues raising the concerns of plastic pollution and impact to the environment. These issues have encouraged innovation and research activities in the field of bioplastics, offering alternatives for conventional plastics. In recent years, global bioplastic production has also witnessed tremendous growth and expansion. Some of the main drivers of this growth are innovative biopolymers such as Polylactic acid (PLA) and Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). However, industrial expenses to produce bioplastics are much higher when compared to petroleum-derived plastics (e.g. industrial PHA production is estimated to be 5–10 times more expensive than petroleum-derived polymers). In this regard, globally many researchers have investigated for more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternatives to produce plastics. One potential option to pursue would be to explore agri-food wastes and by-products for bioplastic production. This would not only reduce the volume of wastes and by-products, but also production costs incurred. This review paper provides an overview of bioplastics, including production methods and possibilities of industrial food waste valorization for bioplastic production.     

2019年“农村义务教育学生营养改善计划”覆盖地区学生餐剩饭状况及影响因素分析

目的分析我国"农村义务教育学生营养改善计划"覆盖地区中小学学生餐剩饭情况及影响因素。方法 2019年在"农村义务教育学生营养改善计划"覆盖地区699个县中, 分片选取1～3个国家试点县, 共选取50个重点监测县。按照不同供餐模式, 随机各抽取2所小学和2所初中作为重点监测学校。从小学三年级到初中三年级, 每个年级抽取1～2个班。采用《学生调查表》收集所调查的26 778名学生的基本信息和剩菜剩饭情况。采用多因素logistic回归分析剩饭率的影响因素。结果我国"农村义务教育学生营养改善计划"覆盖地区学生的剩饭率为54.93%(14 709名), 11.87%(1 743名)的学生每周有6～7 d剩饭, 54.20%(7 957名)的学生剩饭只剩一点点。主食的剩饭率最高(29.78%), 其次为蔬菜和肉类。剩饭的主要原因是不喜欢吃这种食物(33.52%)。多因素logistic回归分析显示, 女生(OR=1.19, 95%CI:1.13～1.25)、初中生(OR=1.17, 95%CI:1.11～1.25)、住宿生(OR=1.06, 95%CI:1.00～1.12)、低经济水平(OR=1...     

浅析南宁市餐厨垃圾资源化利用和无害化处理厂工程给排水设计

以南宁市餐厨垃圾资源化利用和无害化处理厂的给排水专业工程设计实例,简要介绍和分析餐厨垃圾资源化利用和无害化处理厂给排水设计中的思路和方法。     

提高垃圾焚烧厂发电效率的最新应用技术

介绍了提高垃圾焚烧厂热效率的最新工艺技术,阐述了组合式高效垃圾发电工艺(WTE-GT)和再热循环工艺及案例,指出了对我国垃圾焚烧行业发展的借鉴意义。     

Biological risk among hospital housekeepers

Although not directly responsible for patient care, hospital housekeepers are still susceptible to accidents with biological material. The objectives of this study were to establish profile and frequency of accidents among hospital housekeepers, describe behaviors pre- and postaccident, and risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study with hospital housekeepers in Goiania, Brazil. Data were obtained from interviews and vaccination records. The observations were as follows: (1) participating workers: 94.3%; (2) incomplete hepatitis B vaccination: 1 in 3; and (3) accident rate: 26.5%, mostly percutaneous with hypodermic needles, and involved blood from an unknown source; roughly half occurred during waste management. Upon review, length of service less than 5 years, completed hepatitis B vaccination, and had been tested for anti-HBs (hepatitis B surface antigen) influenced frequency of accidents. These findings suggest that improper disposal of waste appears to enhance the risk to hospital housekeepers. All hospital workers should receive continued training with regard to waste management.     

Medical waste management and environmental assessment in the Rio University Hospital,Western Greece

At this study a multi-criteria model was developed to examine the available procedures, techniques and methods of handling infectious waste in the large healthcare unit of University Regional General Hospital of Patras, Western Greece. Particularly, this study examined the: a) current legislation and Directives issued for medical waste management at Greece and among the other EU-members, b) contribution of healthcare wastes (HCW) generation rate on social and economic parameters in selected European countries, c) available procedures, techniques, and methods upon the disposal of infectious wastes at the healthcare studied, and, d) propositions for integrated management of such hazardous wastes. Specifically, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was applied under pair wise comparison matrices in two stages: 1) the scale factors and the indicators, and 2) the criteria and their sub–criteria. The assessment of these pair wise matrices included the indicators and the sub–criteria. Subsequently, two pair wise comparison matrices, upon a) the “Fulfillment of environmental objectives” indicator and b) the “Energy consumption” sub criterion, were denoted. The AHP methodology yielded good results; however there is still space of improving the environmental performance. The normalized relative weights obtained for the criteria and sub criteria motivated specific actions that have to be handled. Particularly, the results indicated a very good value in environmental management criteria due the values obtained for the commitment towards the environmental policy standards and the waste management procedures. However, further improvements on staff awareness (such as development programs to enhance sensitivity) and more green purchasing suppliers, should be further addressed.