2.7 Medium temperature incineration
In many countries there are no high temperature, two-chamber incinerators designed to
handle more than 1% halogenated compounds. Such incinerators meet strict emission
control standards, such as those published by the European Union12. However, it is likely that
only medium temperature furnaces and incinerators will be available. In emergency
situations the responsible authorities may consider it acceptable to treat expired solid form
pharmaceuticals using a two-chamber incinerator that operates at the minimum temperature
of 850°C, with a combustion retention time of at least two seconds in the second chamber.
Many older municipal solid waste incinerators are medium temperature incinerators and the
use of these facilities is encouraged as an interim measure, rather than less safe options,
such as inadequate discharge to a landfill. In this case, it is recommended that the
pharmaceutical waste is diluted with large quantities of municipal waste (approximately
1:1000). Such incinerators are not designed to incinerate halogenated compounds safely.
The very low halogen content in most pharmaceuticals is likely to result in negligible halogen
content in the combustion gases.
Halogen content of pharmaceutical waste
Pharmaciens Sans Frontières, working in Bosnia (Mostar), found the halogen content of
donated pharmaceuticals for disposal to be very low; well below the maximum permissible
values for incinerators/plants licensed for non-halogen wastes in the European Union.