Health-Care Waste And Associated Health Hazards

Health Hygiene & Sanitation

Lesson 32 : Hospital Waste Management

Health-Care Waste And Associated Health Hazards

Health-Care Waste Generation

Health-care waste generation differs from country to country and within the country. Waste generation depends on

  • established waste management methods,
  • type of health care establishment,
  • hospital specializations,
  • proportion of reusable items employed in health-care,
  • proportion of patients treated on day-care basis.

An estimate of average distribution of health-care wastes in developing countries:

Sl. No.

Waste generated

Amount

1

General health-care waste

80 %

2

Pathological and infectious waste

15 %

3

Sharps

1

4

Chemical and pharmacological waste

3

5

Radioactive or cytotoxic waste, pressurized containers, broken thermometers and used batteries

1

Average composition of hospital wastes in India during 1993-1996

Sl. No.

Waste generated

Amount (%)

1

Paper

15

2

Plastics

10

3

Rags

15

4

Metals, Sharps etc,

1

5

Infectious wastes

1.5

6

Glass

4

7

General waste (food, sweepings from hospital premises etc,)

53.5


Hazards of health-care waste

All individuals exposed to such hazardous health-care waste are potentially at risk. The main groups at risk are:

  • medical doctors, nurses, health-care auxiliaries and hospital maintenance personnel;
  • patients in health-care establishments;
  • visitors to health-care establishments;
  • workers in support service; and
  • workers in waste disposal
  1. Hazards from infectious waste and sharps
  2. Pathogens in infectious waste may enter the human body through a puncture, abrasion or cut in the skin through mucous membrane, by inhalation or by ingestion.

  3. Hazards from chemical and pharmaceutical waste
  4. Many of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals used in health-care establishments are toxic, genotoxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, explosive or shock-sensitive. Although present in small quantity; they may cause intoxication either by acute or chronic exposure and injuries including burns.

  5. Hazards from genotoxic waste
  6. Toxicity of the substance, the extent and duration of exposure will determine the severity of hazards. Exposure may occur during the preparation or treatment with particular drug or chemical. The main pathway of exposure is inhalation of dust or aerosols, absorption through the skin, ingestion of food accidentally contaminated with cytotoxic drugs, chemicals or wastes etc.

  7. Hazards from radioactive waste
  8. The type of disease caused by radioactive waste is determined by the type and extent of exposure. It can range from headache, dizziness and vomiting to much more serious problems like involvement of genetic material.

  9. Public sensitivity
  10. Apart from health hazards the general public is very sensitive to visual impact of health-care waste particularly anatomical waste.

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Last modified: Thursday, 26 April 2012, 6:08 AM