Pharmaceutical Pollutants and Used Medical Devices Dumped Into the Environment, Ineffective Regulations and Impacts on Public Health: A Case Study in Dili city, Dili Timor-Leste

Abstract

The disposal of pharmaceutical products, medical devices, and medicines after their expiration date must occur in locations compliant with established safety protocols. This requirement has evolved into an internationally recognized standard, regulated by the World Health Organization of the United Nations, concerning the disposal of tools, drugs, and materials utilized in the pharmaceutical and medical sectors following their use or expiration. The inherent characteristics of pharmaceutical and drug residues contribute to their resistance to environmental degradation, rendering ecosystems particularly susceptible to their adverse effects. This study seeks to examine the effects of improper disposal of pharmaceutical waste and medical devices after their usage, specifically focusing on instances where such materials are intentionally discarded into the environment without adhering to established protocols, and the subsequent impact on society and the environment. Qualitative methods, as described by Chasokela (2024), involve in-depth analysis of specific cases within a broader category of phenomena, commonly referred to as case studies. While this approach may not yield universally applicable insights, it can be a valuable tool in the early stages of research, facilitating the development of hypotheses that can be rigorously tested with a larger sample size. As highlighted by Kusumastuti et al. (2019), the current research adopts an exploratory approach to data collection, which requires direct data collection in the field or primary data generation to gain a deeper understanding of a particular subject, phenomenon, or issue. In this study, qualitative and quantitative analysis and descriptive statistics methods were used according to (Wahyuni, 2020). The findings of this investigation reveal that the pharmaceutical waste is improperly disposed of in the environment. For that, when seen from the location of pollution that occurred or was dumped on the ground of various types, there is a total of 374 pieces. This above-ground disposal is intentionally dumped by humans into public spaces without supervision, both from residents' homes, clinics, and hospitals. For river disposal sites seen from various types of pollutants there is a total of 181 pieces. Disposed of by people living around the lake shore who intentionally dump into the river without supervision by the authorities. For disposal sites in the lake seen from various types of pollutants there is a total of 120 pieces. Seeing the case of the presence of types of medical pollutants used into the river is caused by residents living around the lake who deliberately dump without supervision from local authorities. Meanwhile, for the disposal site on the beach due to is carried by floods during the rainy season, seen from various types of pollutants, there are a total of 76 pieces. The presence of medical pollutants on this beach is directly carried by floods during heavy rains, so that they are stranded on the shore due to being carried by sea waves. So that overall pollution by used medical equipment and expired pharmaceutical drugs over the past five years in the city of Dili seen from various types of pollutants, is a total of 720 pieces. Judging from these numbers, there is clear evidence, both physically and numerically, that the number will continue to increase in the coming years if no preventative measures are taken. Therefore, the results of the above study conclude that there is still a significant lack of public awareness due to the deliberate and irresponsible disposal of used medical pollutants into the environment without considering the impact on the environment and humans themselves.