One of the most common areas where many pharmaceutical companies spend their resources is preventing contamination of their products. This spending is necessary to combat the myriad of ways that medications can quickly become compromised. There are three underlying potential causes of pharmaceutical contamination that should concern you. While proper training can prevent many of these issues, there are some contaminants that can only be avoided through vigilance and attention to detail. Here is how bad materials, faulty equipment, and improper handling impact medical safety.
Bad Materials
When the materials that make up the medical device or medication are bad, it negatively impacts the item’s quality. There are many causes of poor ingredients that damage effectiveness, including exposure to environmental conditions (heat, cold, sunlight, etc.), degradation of materials, and components coming from an inferior source. Pharmaceuticals also become contaminated when they are introduced to additional or impure ingredients. Whatever the cause, the contaminated product is due to a fault in materials or a source introduced during production.
Faulty Equipment
There are also times when the items we rely on to produce and distribute the products will fail. This causes the products to become dangerous for use or consumption. Examples include faulty temperature controls, power outages, and old products not completing the task properly. But these are just a few of the ways medical equipment impacts the final product. This is why replacing dated machinery and tools is so essential in all medical facilities.
Improper Handling and Storage
The third of the potential causes of pharmaceutical contamination is simply human error. It is possible to contaminate the product during production through simple process errors or mislabeling. Additionally, there is the transportation of the products to consider. When shipping medical products, proper storage and handling represent the minimum standard to expect from your freight partner. Problems or delays during shipping can also contribute to contamination. Even a failure to properly administer the product is considered contamination.
