Public practice on the unused pharmaceutical waste and the effect on surface water

Abstract

Pharmaceutical waste is a waste that kept piling up by the days due to the increasing production of it. This issue leads to the detection of pharmaceutical waste residue in the water surface based on the previous studies that were conducted. This study was conducted to know the public practice on how they dispose of their unused pharmaceutical waste and help them to know the effect of that action to the water. A questionnaire was distributed to the target respondents to know their practice on how they dispose of the waste and the collected data were analysed to evaluate the public awareness about the effect of pharmaceutical waste to surface water. About 60 percent of the respondents knew that disposing of pharmaceutical waste can contaminate the surface water, yet there is still 24 percent of them that still dispose it by flushing it down the toilet. According to the study, the residue of the pharmaceutical waste can still be detected in drinking water even after water treatment. Antibiotic resistance may result from continued consumption even when there are no specific studies to demonstrate a direct connection to the water supply. It is also evident from the study that the respondents lacked sufficient knowledge about the proper and safe methods for disposing of unwanted pharmaceutical waste.