Industry warned over waste disposal

Waste produced by the pharmaceutical industry should not be spread on land without a detailed evaluation of its contents and its potential effect on the environment, says a European Commission report.

Its Survey of Wastes Spread on Land said that special care should be taken with the spreading of waste from antibiotic production. It stated: 'Most of the antibiotics are removed in the extraction process, however it is very difficult to remove the last trace of the product. Antibiotics remaining in the waste may adversely affect the soil microbiological population, but this is likely to be a short-term effect.'

The report called for more research on the exposure of soil micro-organisms to antibiotics and the risk that this could lead to the development of resistance to these drugs through natural populations.

The report claimed that in Denmark, pharmaceutical and fertiliser wastes make the 'largest contribution of nutrients of all industrial wastes'. Organic wastes from the medicines sector are mainly biomass from fermentation processes, synthesis residues, alcohol and organic solvents, product residues and dust. There are currently no specific EU laws controlling the spread of waste on the land, except sewage.