“HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT”

BIOMEDICAL WASTE

What is Bio-Medical Waste?

The term “Bio- medical waste” covers all wastesproduced in health-care or diagnostic activities.

The Bio-Medical Waste means any solid, fluid orliquid waste including the containers and anyintermediate product, which is generated duringthe diagnosis treatment or immunisation of humanbeings or animal.

Quantity Of Waste Generated At Various Places In India

TYPES OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE

Classification of hazardous medical waste

Risks associated with hazardous medicalwaste

Health-care wastes are a source of potentially dangerousmicro-organisms that can infect hospital patients, personneland the general public. There are many different exposureroutes: through injury (cut, prick), through contact with theskin or mucous membranes, through inhalation or throughingestion.

The health risks associated with hazardous medical waste

can be divided into five categories:

risk of trauma. (waste category 1)

risk of infection. (waste categories 1 and 2)

chemical risk. (waste categories 3 and 4)

risk of fire or explosion. (waste categories 3 & 4)

risk of radioactivity.

HOSPITAL WASTE COMPOSITON

Cat- 1 Human Anatomical Wastes

Cat- 2 Animal Anatomical Wastes

Cat- 3 Microbiology and Biotechnology wastes

Cat- 4 Waste Sharps

Cat- 5 Discarded medicines and Cytotoxic drugs

Cat- 6 Soiled wastes include items contaminated with

blood, body fluids such as cotton, dressings,

linen, beddings etc.

Cat- 7 Solid wastes i.e. waste generated from disposable

items other than sharps such as tubing, catheters,

IV sets.

Cat- 8 Liquid wastes ( washing, cleaning )

Cat- 9 Incineration ash

Cat- 10 Chemical wastes ( disinfectants, insecticides )

Sorting principles of waste

Do not correct mistakes: if non-hazardousmaterial has been placed in a container for wastesentailing the risk of contamination, that wastemust now be considered hazardous(precautionary principle).

Sorting of the waste must be done as close aspossible to the site where the wastes are produced

Coding recommendations by WHO

Container equipped with a Plastic bag stand on castors Sharps containerblack plastic bag (householdrefuse)

HANDLING A BAG OF WASTES

Bags and containers must be closedwhenever they are two-thirds full.

Never pile bags or empty them. grasp them from the top (never hold

them against the body) and weargloves

WASTE MINIMIZATION PROCESS:-

1. CHEMICAL DISINFECTION:-

2. THERMAL TECHNOLOGY :-

It uses heat to decontaminate instruments and equipmentand the temperatures in this process may rise to extremelyhigh levels.

Most of the microbes are destroyed at temperatures below100°C.

1. Autoclave

2. Microwave

3. Hydroclave

4. Incinerator

low temperatures (100° to 180°C)

high temperatures (200° to over 1000°C):

Here vacuum pumps are utilized toevacuate the air in the chamber ofautoclave and steam under pressure ispushed in, which is able to penetrate thewaste material more thoroughly.

This technology thus reduces the cycletime to 30 - 60 minutes and thetemperatures attained are 132°C.

where air is pushed out of the

autoclave by steam under pressure.

This system operates at temperatures of

121°C and has a cycle time of

approximately 60 - 90 minutes.

The principle of De Montfort incinerators

-

Incineration is a high heat systemprocess of burning combustible solidsat very high temperature in a furnace.

-It employs combustion of wastematerial in stages, followed bycleaning of the flue gas through anumber of pollution control devices.

The end product is devoid of infectiousorganisms and organic compounds ofwaste, which is aestheticallyacceptable.

Based on the type of fuel consumedthe division could be-● Conventional incinerator using

wood/charcoal● Electrical incinerator● Oil fired incinerator using

electricity and diesel oil

Advantage And Disadvantage Of Incineration

3. MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGY

1. Compaction: Compacting is carried out by a hydraulicram against a hard surface.

2. Grinding / Shredding: Waste material is brokendown into smaller particles under negative pressure to

avoid any spillage outside the chamber.

3. Pulverization: Waste is mixed with large volumeof water and bleach solution. The waste is tornto shreds and then fed to an ultra high speedhammer mill with large spin blades whichpulverize the matter into small, safe particles.

This involves exposing the waste matter to ultraviolet orionizing radiation in an enclosed chamber.

Decontamination occurs when nucleic acidsin the living cells are irradiated.

The advantage with this technology is that energyinput is minimal and it is used to treat items,which cannot be heated.

Source of radiation needs to be properly disposedoff after its decay.

TREATMENT OBJECTIVE:-

o To prevent transmission of diseases.

o To prevent injuries.

o To prevent general exposure to harmful effects ofbiomedical wastes.

o Reducing the amount of waste at source.

o Purchasing policy geared to minimizing risks.

o Product recycling.

FINAL DISPOSAL METHODS

General non hazardouswaste

Secured landfills

Liquid wastes Chemical disinfectant F/b neutralization with reagent, and discharged into the sewerage system.

Human anatomical wastes

Incinerated and sent to landfill sites.

Sharps Needles can be cut by needle cutter and contained in 1% bleach solution, and sent to landfill for disposal.

Microbiology waste Autoclave/Microwave/Incineration F/b landfill disposal.

Infectious solid waste Autoclave/Microwave/Incineration F/blandfill disposal.

Radioactive waste The solid wastes are disposed by concentration and storage.

Pressurised containers Disposed off with general waste in secured landfills.