I tried Zotero this week, seeing it was the focus of many discussions. I decided to use the Firefox plugin, to which I really liked the interace and ability to organize and easily add sources. However, not much information is pulled from the source. Just the title and the date I accessed it. Sounds like that is pretty much the issue with everyone, and as I tend to cite sources myself, this is probably the most ideal for me.
I admit it – I’ve not ever used a service for bibliography. I guess I’m old-fashioned and have been trained in the older ways. I just organize and cite references myself. I’ve been a fan of the Purdue Online Writing Lab since I was an undergraduate 10 years ago, and also used various citing books that I bought for undergraduate and graduate classes. Although, I know those are probably outdated now, but I still have them in my book collection 
Just to give it a try, I’ve downloaded Zotero ( and similar ones) with a grain of salt. Odd that I’m in this field, but I can be very doubtful with technology. I’ll probably Zotero more for organization than citation purposes. I’ll be exploring it more as I generate my annotated bibliography and will give an update.
Here’s some attempts at a thesis statement:
In order to increase safety protocols and reduce the amount of biomedical waste tossed in household trash – specifically needles and similar products -, a collaborative effort must be enacted through the fields of graphic design (including all its counterparts), the medical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the waste industry.
In order to control the hazards and the amount of biomedical waste in household trash – specifically needles and similar products -, a collaborative effort must be implemented by utilizing all disciplines of graphic design, the medical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the waste industry.
In order to control the amount and hazards of biomedical waste in household trash – specifically needles and similar products -, a collaborative effort must be implemented by utilizing all disciplines of graphic design, the medical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, and the waste industry. By doing so, this redesign effort will bring this issue to the forefront and will provide a solution which meet the standards of the industries involved.
RHETORICAL PRÉCIS
CITATION
Gold, Kathleen, R.N., M.S.N, C.D.E. “Analysis: The Impact of Needle, Syringe and Lancet Disposal on the Community.” Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology 5.4 (2011): 848-850. Print.
INTERPRETATION
Kathleen Gold, in her article, “Analysis: The Impact of Needle, Syringe and Lancet Disposal on the Community” (2011), argues that a sustainable plan must be developed in order to address the impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on the environment, which affects all areas of manufacturing and not just specific companies. The author focuses her discussion on home-generated medical waste – syringes, lancets, needles, insulin pump tubing, continuous glucose monitor tubing, and insertion devices – which is not regulated in the United States. Gold explains that 7.5 billion needles and syringes are used outside the healthcare system, and without regulation, places sanitation workers and custodial personnel at risk of injury. Therefore, the author’s highlighting of this high number illustrates her purpose of demonstrating a need to research the impact of these products’ effect on the environment and the impact of unregulated medical waste disposal in the community. The author establishes an informative, direct tone with the audience by explaining numbers and processes, while asking direct questions and raising concerns.
As there is no current regulation in the United States, Gold explains the standard practice of patients depositing their medical waste products with their curbside trash. Trash is taken to a materials recover facility (MRF), which then begins a sorting process to separate designated recyclable material (different from the voluntary recycling in which households participate) from the solid waste.
Materials are then sorted either manually or through a mechanical sorting process; what is not recyclable is transported to a landfill. It is at this point in the process where sanitation workers are exposed to needle-stick injuries. The author points out needle-stick injuries are one of the top three injuries reported at MRFs (according to data tracked by waste management companies). Custodial staffs are also at risk at public venues (including hotels, airports, train stations, and large entertainment centers), but presently there are no data-tracking systems for these professions.
When illustrating the 7.5 billion syringes used in households yearly, Gold asserts this number does not reflect the number of lancets used by the 25 million individuals with diabetes. It is estimated that 1 in 12 households in the United States are using a syringe for the treatment of diabetes, migraines, allergies, infertility, arthritis, HIV, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, and other conditions.
Due to there being no set standard for disposal, individuals deposit their needles in the trash or flush them down the toilet. The most common instructions given to individuals are to place their needles and syringes in a heavy plastic container and place it at the curbside trash. Currently, a limited number of regions in the United States offer a safe community disposal system. In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published Community Options for Safe Needle Disposal outlining the dangers of improper needle disposal and offering a variety of program options, none of which are mandatory:
But, states and municipalities are beginning to research and enforce their own policies to offer safer alternatives. The Coalition for Safe Community Needle Disposal is working nationally with stakeholders by sharing the burden of these programs with pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, waste management companies, recycling companies, and local and state governments.
The author asks questions the audience must ponder, such as “Why are we not doing something to correct this problem?” to which she replies the answer is money. The disposal of medical waste is expensive, and who is going to bear this burden? The patient who already has high expenses? The local municipalities that will have to develop, implement, publicize, and enforce regulations? Waste management companies? Or should the manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies provide a solution?
The author then moves her questions to the workers and their concern for their safety, “Why are the workers not demanding protection?” Do they have enough power to do so? Do they recognize the risk they are placing themselves into? Do they know their rights? Are they educated enough to know they need protection (or demand it)? Gold answers these jobs are filled by low-paid employees.
While Gold is direct and asks questions the audience needs to contemplate, she is successful in establishing an informing relationship and achieving the goal of advising her audience of the situation. She does not place the blame on any of the parties involved and believes a quick solution cannot be determined due to development and costs. Therefore, Gold is able to create an unbiased reasoning to finding a solution soon, to which the audience is able to understand as a concerned citizen and not be an observer to a corporation tug-of -war. The author does provide information for those who are interested in programs available in their community.
QUESTIONS
As this article provides the information and basis for this issue, how can graphic design alleviate this situation? What disciplines would become involved?
Would this issue alleviate itself if medical products were redesigned? Is it possible for these products to be redesigned? (needles using different materials)
Who should cover the costs? Is there a way to minimize the cost once a solution is found?
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Butschli, Jim. “How leading pharma/device firms employ sustainability.” Packaging World, 3 July 2012. Packaging World. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. < http://www.packworld.com/sustainability/strategy/how-leading-pharmadevice-firms-employ-sustainability>
Carroll, Jeremy. “Ban on needle disposal begins in Massachusetts.” Waste & Recycling News, 9 July 2012. Waste & Recycling News. Web. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20120709/NEWS01/120709943/ban-on-needle-disposal-begins-in-massachusetts>
“Disposal of sharps – needles and lancets.” Diabetes UK, 2012. Web. Diabetes, UK. 26 Jan. 2013. <http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/Monitoring/Blood_glucose/Disposal_of_sharps/>
Leonard, Paul. “Sustainability in Medical Device Design: Turning Challenge into Opportunity.” Carbon Design Group, 2011. Carbon Design Group. Web. 26 Jan. 2013 < http://www.carbondesign.com/sustainability-in-medical-device-design-turning-challenge-into-opportunity>
Sudeykina, Svetlana. Eco Labeling. Constructing visual messages to motivate respect and care about environment on the personal level. MFA Thesis. Savannah College of Art and Design, 2011. Print.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Needles and Other Sharps (Safe Disposal Outside of Health Care Settings). U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 12 Dec. 2011.Web. 26 Jan. 2013.
<http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/HomeHealthandConsumer/ConsumerProducts/Sharps/ucm20025647.htm>
Graphic designers are usually not considered as a solution for disposing of dangerous waste, but they can be invaluable by creating awareness, producing multi-faceted designs which inspire recycling and sustainability, and encouraging citizens to dispose of their hazardous waste responsibly. This is especially true considering the disposal of biomedical waste such as needles used for dispensing medicine. Simply discarding these sharps into normal waste receptacles poses a hazard to those who handle such waste. This collaborative redesign effort cannot only bring this issue to the forefront, but can also provide an easy solution to the disposal issue.
As researching the latest news and how communities enforce biomedical waste control, I came across these and much more. Some states have enacted their own bans, while providing drop off locations.
http://www.wasterecyclingnews.com/article/20120709/news01/120709943/ban-on-needle-disposal-begins-in-massachusetts
http://www.telegram.com/article/20120905/NEWS/109059849/1246
http://www.safeneedledisposal.org/index.cfm?load=news&newsarticle=20&page=56
http://articles.philly.com/1988-05-23/news/26261136_1_bags-of-medical-waste-marine-police-medical-debris
http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20110703/NEWS/110709955
Still 100 words, but includes input from Tuesday night’s discussion:
Biomedical waste must be properly managed in order to protect the general public, and healthcare and sanitation workers who are regularly exposed to it. However, consumers are not properly disposing of this waste in their households because of the difficulty of doing so.
Creating awareness about this issue and producing a solution(s) heavily relies on the collaboration of graphic design facets including package design, environmental design, print design, and designing for sustainability. This collaborative effort has to persuade consumers to reduce the amount of biomedical waste going into the trash, and needs to meet the standards of all industries involved.
This exercise is reminding of Clark’s points of having a problem, question, and purpose. So, I decided to keep this in mind when summarizing the topic:
“Society produces waste: paper, food, electrical, biomedical, and much more. In order to curb this issue, recycling, sustainability, and safety have been implemented in everyday lives.
Specifically, biomedical waste must be properly managed to protect the general public, and healthcare and sanitation workers who are regularly exposed. However, consumers are not properly disposing of this waste in their households because of the difficulty of doing so.
How can graphic design become involved in creating awareness of this issue, producing a solution(s) which will protect all those involved, and persuade consumers to participate (all while meeting standards of all involved industries)?”
After comments this week, I decided to collect thoughts and free write .
To start, numerous aliments, diseases, and species require shots. This can include allergy shots, Multiple Sclerosis, Hepatitis, and animals. Diabetes Type I is a polygenic disease, and the cause of it is still unknown. It has to be controlled with shots, and can start in early childhood. It never truly goes away. It’s a type of autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas.
But I also want to look at other biological waste products. My research will look into all of these products, not needles. However, depending on what the research yields, my thesis may have to just focus on needle usage for all ailments.
The next step is to start researching all types of biological waste (hard materials used), and to start finding readings that discuss any aspect of this concern/field (this could be a challenge). This in turn would determine my focus, as mentioned above.
There is no perfect solution, but ideally a better disposal method is needed for today’s issue. The package is redesigned to ‘accept’ used materials, but separated from the new. Then the consumer could mail or dropoff, to which the waste industry or pharmacy would further the package of used materials to proper disposal. The company that produces these could also forward/accept these packages.
I see the actual material design being figured out by industrial designers and related positions. It’s probably difficult finding an alternative material for needles, for example. Graphic design is probably more involved in the package design, environmental design, and awareness, with possible input on the product design.
This thesis could include: creating awareness about the current issue, introducing consumers to the idea, re-design package designs to accept used materials, creating environmental signs/drop off centers (if the drop off solution is selected), involving medical companies, pharmacies, and the waste industries.
Questions to ask:
What are all the hard waste biological materials produced? Beside needles.
Do consumers even care about the biological waste they produce using certain medical products (hard materials)? Or who it even affects? Do the companies even care?
What would help the consumer in making the right decision in disposing of these products (by not throwing them in the trash)? How do we educate the consumer about this effort? Do we monitor results?
What can be done to reduce the hazardous waste that gets thrown in the trash? How do we protect those who handle it?
What happens to the package once the consumer preps it? Would they be mailed, or dropped off somewhere? Where does it go afterwards? Who picks up the packages?
One major resource to tap into: the medical faculty here at Cincinnati, and the waste industry (along with a pharmacy). SCAD faculty include two professors, one specializing in package design, and one specializing in sustainability.
As a society, we produce waste. Paper, food, trash, biological, and so forth. As I began thinking of topics, I decided to follow Clark’s suggestions and revisited those that strongly interested me. I came back to my lancet (sharps) waste project and how package design can reduce the amount thrown in the trash and improve the safety of others. I remember at the time there was hardly anything information on medical package design and waste COMBINED. Sure, there have been projects on redesign of packages for retail and prescription bottles, but what about those that produce biological waste? A lot of this gets thrown in the trash, is harmful to others, and even gives an opportunity to those who use certain products for illegal use.
What inspired this class project was my family, and a childhood pet. Both my grandmother and mother are diabetics, one of them having to use lancets every day. My mother struggles with safely disposing of sharps due to her being in a small town. Oddly enough, my childhood cat became diabetic while I was in high school, and he had to be given shots once a day, and then twice a day in his later years. I decided to focus specifically on lancets/sharps because of this notion, and also finding out family friends who are also throwing them in the trash.
After this revisit, I want to expand this idea to other products that produce biological waste, and how people dispose of them. The problem is that as a society, specifically in medicinal use, produce biological waste and do no properly dispose of them. The question is how can graphic design become involved in improving the design of packaging to reduce this waste, keep consumers from throwing it in the trash, therefore improving sustainability and safety in this field? The purpose is to show that graphic design can improve and find solutions to this issue, while working with other fields and professions to met standards across the board.
This combines the fields of medicinal packaging, pharmacies, graphic design, printers and packaging assemblies, and the waste industry. As for the audience, the list prior plus self-conscious consumers will be included. While I just moved to work at the University of Cincinnati, I realized that I could connect with medical faculty at the medical school here and receive their input (may be even strong enough to work on my committee). I could receive valuable insight and resources from these professionals as they have worked in the field of medicine, and properly have a closer look at this issue more so than graphic designers. Having faculty who specialize in design sustainability, packaging, and the medical field will prove to be a well-rounded committee. Therefore, I also feel that through medical faculty here, I could possibly test my solutions on people who use biological products. A survey could be conducted to see what waste is being produced, how they dispose of it, and what they would like to have access to when it comes to proper disposal (through the packaging, drop off centers, etc). I could also contact local waste collectors to inquire about their experiences.
As for other resources, I will attempt to find research in the medical field as well, especially those who reviewed biological waste and the products that produce them. But, I do have a feeling this will be difficult. I have found writings on sustainability, and Deborah Adler’s prescription bottle redesign for Target, but not much beyond. As stated above, I will have to conduct research myself to get the proper answers to my questions, which in turn will assist me in producing solutions.
With texts, I plan to find the “a-ha” moments in writings. These tell me what information provided the author these discoverable times to which they found their solutions, or set them on the right path. The goals and solutions they find while processing their searches is also important. Did they achieve them? What went wrong? Were they successful? And I’ll also question my reasons for reading a certain text, especially if I come across one arguing my point. Researching those against your proposal also provides insights and makes you consider the arguing side’s points.
What was the motive behind these texts? What resources did they use to support their ideas? How can it be applied to graphic design, medical/pharmacy, and waste industry?
