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Nowadays with the advancement of medical science most of the hospitals, nursing homes or other health service providing institutions are now prepared with latest instruments for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Inappropriate management of this waste has a dangerous health impact on our community and environment. Every hour large amounts of potentially infectious and hazardous medical waste is produced in the health care facilities around the world and their indiscriminate disposal is a serious threat to the environment and to human health.
Definition of biomedical waste:
Biomedical waste may be defined as any waste which is generated during the diagnosis, management and immunization of human beings or other animals. Any waste produced during production and testing of any biomedical means also known as biomedical waste.
Biomedical waste is generated from:
There are approximately thousands of health related facilities all over the world that produce biomedical waste products. Hospitals, clinics and nursing homes are the main source of generation of biomedical waste. Different laboratories, veterinarians, physician’s private offices, pharmacies that provide a vaccination service, body piercing salons, tattoo shops are also playing a key role to generate biomedical waste and transmission of certain diseases. But the main concern lies with the waste produced from large hospitals and nursing homes because diseases that spreads through these hospital related waste products are more difficult to treat.
Health hazards of improperly disposed biomedical waste:
1. Nosocomial infection to hospital or health facility workers that are caused by hospital oriented organisms which are less sensitive to antibiotics and difficult to cure.
2. Spreading of organisms to our environment by direct disposal or contact of these waste products with water, air and soil also polluting the environment and may cause imbalance in ecosystems.
3. Spreading of diseases to our community and community members.
Some viruses like all types of hepatitis virus, HIV, Arbo virus, Entero virus are easily transmitted through these waste products and may cause hepatitis, AIDS, dengue, Japanese encephalitis like morbid diseases.
Some bacteria, like Salmonella typhae, Vibrio cholerae, Clostridium tetani, Pseudomonas and Streptococcus may spread through human excreta, body fluid, needles, surgical instruments and may cause typhoid cholera and tetanus like infectious diseases.
Parasites are also transmitted and spread through these medical waste products and cause different diseases.
To dispose these products the following things are done-
1. Collection and accumulation:
Biomedical waste like sharp instruments should be carried in a leak proof, break-resistant in moderate pressure containers that are tightly sealed and labeled with specific demarcation and the International Biohazard Symbol during storage or transport. Biomedical wastes, which are not sharp products, can be placed in leak proof plastic bags, but it should be strong enough to prevent tearing and ripping.
2. Treatment of biomedical waste:
Biomedical waste can be treated and disinfected by many procedures like, incineration or decontamination by heating with steam under pressure in an autoclave machine.
For treating and disinfecting liquids and small quantities of biomedical waste, a 1-10% solution of bleaching powder can be used. Sodium hydroxide and other chemical disinfectants may also be used to disinfect the waste depending on their characteristics.
3. Disposal:
After disinfection waste products may be reused (if appropriate to reuse) or may be safely disposed of in a sanitary sewer that goes to a sewage treatment plant for further decontamination.
Biomedical waste is an emerging health hazard that can be managed properly by ensuring proper isolation and leveling at the source, the use of appropriate packaging, appropriate international color coding, minimizing employee exposure to biomedical waste in a workplace, designating waste storage areas and ensuring safe disposal.
