Rubbish/Waste are the things we throw away when we have no more use for them.
OR
Something that is not of any immediate use
What do we mean by Health Care Waste?
Means all the waste generated by health care establishments, research facilities, and laboratories. In addition, it includes the waste originating from “minor” or scattered sources- such as that produced in the course of health care undertaken in the home (dialysis, insulin injections, etc.)
What is Hospital waste?
Hospital Waste: means all waste coming out of hospitals during the process of health care delivery
What is Biomedical waste?
Means any waste, which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biologicals
What is infectious waste?
Infectious Medical Waste is medical waste which is capable of producing an infectious disease
What is segregation?
Segregation limits general waste becoming infected.
•Less infected waste to manage.
•Protecting general waste from becoming mixed with infected waste
Advantages of Health Care Waste Management
•Reducing quantum of infected waste
•Manage general waste separately.
•Reduce load and cost of infected waste
•Improve cleanliness of the surrounding
•Protect ourselves
Good method to segregate
Segregation at the point of generation is best
HAZRDOUS WASTE
85 % is solid waste
10 % is medical waste
5 % is hazardous waste
Common Hospital Wastes
• Paper
• Cardboard
• Food waste
• Red bag/medical wastes
• Sharps
•Computers/TVs
•Lighting
•Building materials
•Solvents
Common Hospital Hazardous Waste
• Chemicals (lab)
• Solvents
• Pharmaceuticals
• Mercury equipment
• E-waste
• Lighting
• Cleaners
• Pesticides
• Oil
• Batteries
• X-ray fixer and developer
Hazardous Waste
Causes or significantly contributes to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or poses a substantial present or potential future hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported or disposed, or otherwise mismanaged.
What is Hazardous Waste?
Any waste that has the following characteristics:
* Ignitable
* Corrosive
* Reactive
* Toxic
Characteristics of a Waste
Ignitable
Flash point <>
Corrosive
pH <> 12.5
Examples:
Acids, glass cleaner, hydroxides, bases, drain cleaners, other
Reactive
Unstable and may explode under certain conditions such as heat, friction or pressure
Examples:
Picric acid, peroxide forming chemicals, ethyl ethers
Toxic
Fails Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Test
Examples:
Heavy metals: mercury, lead, silver, chromic acid, other
Waste Disposal
No hazardous wastes may be:
dumped down the drain
discharged to sewer
discarded with the garbage
allowed to evaporate into the atmosphere
Disposal of Empty Containers
Containers or bottles must:
Be empty
Be rinsed three times with the first rinse collected as hazardous waste
Have the label removed, obscured, or marked “empty”
Be disposed in the regular trash, unless acutely hazardous or odorous
What is health care waste (HCW)?
It is the total waste stream generated by the facility:
Infectious waste
Sharp waste
Pathological waste
Pharmaceutical waste
Chemical waste
Genotoxic waste
Wastes contaminated with heavy metals
Radioactive waste
Impacts of Hospital Waste
Impacts entire community
Population at greatest risk
• Patients
• Healthcare workers
• Municipal workers
• Rag pickers
• Workers at recycling industries, waste treatment facilities
What is Infectious Waste
Items saturated with blood
Sharps (used and unused)
Cultures and stocks
Wastes from patients with certain highly contagious diseases
Concerns in infectious Wastes
Blood borne pathogens
Body fluids acting as transmission vehicles to various pathogens
Presence of resistant strains
Presence of concentrated cultures of pathogens
Invasive sharps waste
Modes of Transmission of Infections
Direct physical contact of host and agent through untreated culture, stocks and body fluid spills.
Generation of aerosol during treatment of waste – like shredding, chemical disinfection; during transportation of untreated waste
Vehicle borne transmission- needle sticks, splashes of body fluid on clothes, contact with contaminated material
Medical waste has everything needed for disease transmission:
• Presence of an infectious agent
• Sufficient concentration of the agent to cause an infection
• Portal of entry of infectious agent to the host
• Mode of transmission of agent to the host
What are Sharps
Anything capable of causing cuts and punctures:
• Needles
• Blades
• Scalpels
• Lancets
• Sutures
• I.V. Catheters
• Broken glass, ampoules
Sero-conversion following exposure
Pathogen Conversion rate Conversion time
----------- ------------------- ------------------
HIV 0.3% 6 months
HBV 30% 2-6 months
HCV 10% 7 weeks
Some reasons why we fail to cope with the HCW Public Health Risks
Little awareness on HCW health hazards
Not enough human, technical and financial resources allocated for HCWM
Little or no control/supervision mechanisms to manage wastes safely
IN FACT, THE PROBLEM HAS DEEPER ROOTS: THERE IS A GENERALISED LACK OF INTEREST IN ADRESSING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND IN INTRODUCING SAFER HCWM SYSTEMS
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