Medication disposal: A reflection about possible sanitary and environmental risks

Abstract

This article has analyzed the drug disposal form by the population of Distrito Federal (DF), reflecting about its possible health and environmental risks. For that, an exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted based on interviews with residents of all Territorial Planning Units in DF. Among the 393 interviewees, 73.8% had a stock of medicines at home, 78.9% had already discarded drugs, which were mostly done in the common waste (73,6%). Adequate discharge was strongly associated with greater schooling (p = 0,027), higher economic classification (p = 0,005), male sex (p = 0,006) and with receiving information about the subject (p < 0,001). It is noted that the inappropriate disposal of drugs is common. It presents the need to incorporate the theme into specific policies and media.