Disposal Practices of Pharmaceutical Waste among Medical Facilities in Nakuru Town, Nakuru County Kenya

Abstract

There is growing public concern over presence of pharmaceutical substances remnants in water and the environment. This pharmaceutical waste includes antibiotics, which interfere with water treatment process since most depend on biodegradation. Antibiotics have immense effects on non-target organisms, both human beings and aquatic life, when they get exposed; such effects include medicine resistance to humans, increase in morbidity and mortality of the population due to unintentional poisoning, and failing fertility of the aquatic life. The study aimed at disposal practices of pharmaceutical waste (anti-biotics) among medical facilities and their contribution to environmental pollution in Nakuru town. This was achieved by conducting a social survey. The Social survey was used to collect data on disposal practices of pharmaceutical waste among medical facilities. Data was then processed and analysed using descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies). The study revealed that 11 percent of metronidazole are disposed on site both Benzyl penicillin with 7 percent and ceftriaxone with7 percent. Other antibiotics are highly disposed in the on -site with 36 percent. In the offsite disposal other antibiotics are disposed with 8 percent and only metronidazole was found to be disposed offsite with 3 percent. On methods of disposal incineration (50%) was the most practiced method of disposal. 8 percent of those who choose incineration as the most practiced method of pharmaceutical wastes disposal said that though they practice incineration it is done outside their facility, other methods used for disposal were burning 9% followed by burying 5 percent. The study provides information on disposal practices that can add information to the existing database and also serve as a baseline data for researchers interested in related studies.