RE: Disposing of Unused or Expired H1N1 Vaccine in Minnesota

[Guest guest]

Love it! Thanks.

Pamela

From:

EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ] On Behalf Of Sheri

Nakken

Sent: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 7:10 PM

To: Recipient list suppressed:

Subject: Disposing of Unused or Expired H1N1 Vaccine in

Minnesota

injected into you or your child but handled as

hazardous waste outside you

same with dental amalgam - hazardous when it comes into the office and

hazardous when it is taken out of your mouth and leaves the office - but just

fine in your mouth - most be saliva is magic

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/flu/hcp/vaccine/sh/vaxdisposal.html

better view of chart on the webpage...................

Disposing of Unused or Expired H1N1 Vaccine in Minnesota

On this page:

Hazardous

waste

Infectious

waste

Where

to Dispose of H1N1 Vaccine, Vials, and Syringes

Download PDF version formatted for print:

Disposing

of Unused or Expired H1N1 Vaccine in Minnesota (PDF: 37KB/1 page)

During the 2009-10 flu season, unused or expired H1N1 vaccine products may not

be returned to the distributor. Instead, providers are responsible for

disposing of them. To dispose of these materials appropriately, you need to

know if they are either hazardous waste or infectious waste or both or neither.

Those that are neither are considered industrial solid waste (normal trash).

Proper disposal of vaccines is everyone’s responsibility to protect our

environment.

Hazardous waste

Unused or expired H1N1

vaccines are considered hazardous if they contain mercury (such as thimerosal) or

cresol-based preservatives. These are most commonly found in multi-dose vials

and some pre-filled syringes. Any vial that is not empty*

and contains vaccine with a mercury or cresol-based preservative must be

managed as hazardous waste under Minnesota Hazardous Waste Rules. This includes

all multi-dose vials of H1N1 vaccine and the Novartis H1N1 pre-filled syringes

that contain a trace of mercury.

If you already work with a hazardous waste disposal company, you might want to

use them to dispose of unused or expired H1N1 vaccine. However, it is generally

cheaper to go through a Very Small Quantity Generators (VSQG) site. See the

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's fact sheet, VSQG Collection

Program Requirements for Generators (PDF: 180KB/2 pages) (Attention:

Non-MDH link) for more infomation on using VSQGs for disposal of hazardous

waste. If you have never generated or shipped hazardous waste before, you will

need to complete some paperwork, probably two forms, but the VSQG site or

hazardous waste disposal company will help with that. You can assume that

preservative-free vaccines (most commonly single-use vials) and single-dose

pre-filled syringes (excluding Novartis syringes) are non-hazardous.

Infectious waste

You can assume that an empty

vial that contained H1N1 vaccine is non-infectious. However, that vial is

considered infectious waste if combined with a used sharp, such as an injection

syringe, broken contaminated glass, or lancet.

Where to Dispose of H1N1 Vaccine, Vials, and Syringes

H1N1 Waste Items Type of Waste Where to Dispose

Empty vials

Empty syringes without needles

Non-infectious and

non-hazardous

Normal trash

Empty syringes with needles

Infectious only

(non-hazardous)

Sharps container

Multi-dose vials containing H1N1 vaccine

Pre-filled syringes containing Fluviron

vaccine by Novartis

Non-infectious and hazardous

Hazardous waste container and management.

May be disposed of through a VSQG site,

usually for a fee. Not all sites accept this waste, so call first.

Used syringe with intact needle that still

contains vaccine (unlikely to occur unless syringe malfunctions during

use)

Infectious and hazardous

Hazardous waste container that meets

sharps-container requirements

Management compliant with both hazardous and

infectious waste requirements

May be disposed of through a hazardous waste

disposal company

Preservative-free vaccines (most commonly

single-use vials and some pre-filled syringes), including LAIV

Non-hazardous

Normal trash

*A vial is considered empty when there is 3% or less of the original vaccine

remaining and all vaccine that can be removed by normal means (syringe) has

been removed. Single- or multi-dose vials that have been fully administered may

still contain extra vaccine. Just because there is not enough vaccine left for

a dose does not mean the vial is empty for waste disposal purposes. If there is

enough leftover vaccine in a vial that more liquid can be removed with a

syringe, it must be managed as hazardous waste. (Minn. R. 7045.0127, subp. 2.)

For information on hazardous waste disposal in your area call your county

public health office.

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines - http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/

Homeopathy http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

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