Biomedical waste

Examples of infectious waste include discarded blood, sharps, unwanted microbiological cultures and stocks, identifiable body parts (including those as a result of amputation), other human or animal tissue, used bandages and dressings, discarded gloves, other medical supplies that may have been in contact with blood and body fluids, and laboratory waste that exhibits the characteristics described above.

Waste sharps include potentially contaminated used (and unused discarded) needles, scalpels, lancets and other devices capable of penetrating skin.

Biomedical waste is generated from biological and medical sources and activities, such as the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of diseases.

Daily exposure to the wastes (landfills) leads to accumulation of harmful substances or microbes in the person's body.

A 1990 report by the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry concluded that the general public is not likely to be adversely affected by biomedical waste generated in the traditional healthcare setting.

Steps in the management of biomedical waste include generation, accumulation, handling, storage, treatment, transport and disposal.

Minimal recommended equipment include a fume hood and primary and secondary waste containers to capture potential overflow.

An open funnel placed in the mouth of a waste container has been shown to allow significant evaporation of chemicals into the surrounding atmosphere, which is then inhaled by laboratory personnel, and contributes a primary component to the threat of completing the fire triangle.

Storage refers to keeping the waste until it is treated on-site or transported off-site for treatment or disposal.

Handling is the act of moving biomedical waste between the point of generation, accumulation areas, storage locations and on-site treatment facilities.

An autoclave uses steam and pressure to sterilize the waste or reduce its microbiological load to a level at which it may be safely disposed of.

Effective administrative controls include operator training, strict procedures, and separate times and space for processing biomedical waste.

When exposed to microwave frequencies, the dipoles of the water molecules present in cells re-align with the applied electric field.

Microwave disinfection is a recently developed technology which provides advantage over old existing technologies of autoclaves as microwave based disinfection has less cycle time, power consumption and it requires minimal usage of water and consumables as compared to autoclaves.

After the Act expired in 1991, responsibility to regulate and pass laws concerning the disposal of medical waste returned to the individual states.

It is often found that biomedical waste is dumped into the ocean, where it eventually washes up on shore, or in landfills due to improper sorting or negligence when in the medical facility.

Due to the competition to improve quality and so as to get accreditation from agencies like ISO, NABH, JCI, many private organizations have initiated proper biomedical waste disposal but still the gap is huge.

The training of Health Care Facility staff and the awareness of the Hazards of Bio Medical waste is still a challenge in most of the country.

The latest guidelines for segregation of bio-medical waste recommend the following color coding:[16] The syringe tide environmental disaster of 1987–1988 raised awareness about medical waste as medical syringes washed ashore in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York.

The crises spurred scientists and lawmakers to create mechanisms, policies, and laws so that health care providers would process their bio-waste in an environmentally friendly way.

Indirect consequences in the form of toxic emissions from inadequate burning of medical waste, or the production of millions of used syringes in a period of three to four weeks from an insufficiently well planned mass immunization campaign.

The most serious effect that biomedical waste has on our seas is the discharge of poisons into the waters that could then be consumed by ocean life creatures.

[19] Our current reliance on plastic materials is rooted in their unique capabilities to be lightweight, cost-effective, and durable while preserving the sterility of medical equipment.

This is similar to the controlled air process, such as the waste being dried, ignited, and combusted by heat provided by the primary chamber burner.

An autoclave, similar to a pressure cooker, uses high-temperature steam to penetrate waste material and kill micro-organisms.

These waves cause the particles within the waste material to vibrate, generating heat and killing the pathogens from within.

[26] Significant strides may be made relatively quickly if the focus shifts towards surgical subspecialties and their involvement in generated medical waste.

[27] Thankfully, it appears that surgeons across the U.S. have agreed that their practice generates a high amount of waste and that a change needs to be implemented.

By creating surveillance groups within hospitals, everyone would be held accountable for misconduct and improper disposal of waste.

Companies and governmental organization should also initiate non-routine checkups and searches, this would place pressure on hospitals to ensure that waste is properly disposed all year round.