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Medical or clinical waste consists of waste materials produced by the health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics and laboratories. Following the repeat of the Medical Waste Tracking Act (MWTA) from 1988, medical waste management Pompano Beach and all its elements (treatment, disposal, packaging, transportation, etc,) are now under the close eye of federal, state and municipal governments.
Medical Waste Definition
Medical waste is a serious concern, as it can hold infectious and even bio-hazardous materials. This is the reason why proper medical waste removal is necessary, as well its regulation.
The MWTA act from 1988 defines medical waste as solid waste produced in the diagnosis, immunization or treatment of either humans or animals. This kind of waste also involves waste produced in connected research. For instance, production or testing of biologicals (these include medicinal preparations created from living organisms and products of living organisms), as well as waste from trauma scenes (especially waste removed directly from the trauma scene).
What Materials can be Considered Medical Waste
To understand what materials can be considered as medical waste, we need to consult the leading United States government agency in charge of medical waste management Pompano Beach. This agency is called “The Environmental Protection Agency|” or EPA for short. According to EPA all medical waste can be categorized as sharps waste (needles, scalpels, scissors…) and bio-hazardous waste.
Medical waste includes a very long list of materials, but in general, any item or material that has been exposed to blood or body liquids can be considered as medical waste and should be treated as such. It is much better to err on the side of caution here than not to and end up making a more grave mistake.
Medical waste may include, for example: amputated human or animal body parts, human or animal organs or tissue, blood and blood products, other body liquids and semi-liquids, sharps, stock, cultures, used glassware, culture dishes, used surgical gloves, blood-soaked bed sheets and hospital gowns, and so on.
The Role of Health Care Facilities
Health care facilities, especially hospitals are the biggest generators of medical waste. Of course, that is not to say that only large hospitals produce this type of wast. Small clinics, nursery homes, morgues, veterinary clinics, research laboratories and even tattoo parlors also produce medical waste at a smaller or larger quantity. The responsibility for medical waste management Pompano Beach, therefore, lies on all of these business, no matter how big or small they are and no matter how much or little medical waste they produce.
Incineration or Sterilization as a Medical Waste Removal Method?
When it comes to medical waste removal methods, incineration and sterilization are the two most commonly used.
90% of medical waste is incinerated (according to EPA). Basically all solid medical waste is destroyed this way.
Sterilization is used for some medical equipment, such as sharps or for glassware and is often used to allow the medical waste to be reused when Pompano Beach medical waste removal is not a cost-effective option.
