With the growth of the world’s population, the need to provide medical care services also continue to grow. Alongside the pressure to ensure people are healthy and fit, there will also be increasing pressure to look for medical waste disposal solutions that are safe, eco-friendly, and healthy.
When you talk about medical waste, it encompasses the following:
- Solid waste- towels, gloves, non-sharp items
- Liquid waste- blood and other bodily fluids
- Sharp Waste- syringes, broken glass, scalpels, needles
- Pathological waste- human tissues, organs, and other parts
All of these can endanger and contaminate our environment and health if not disposed of properly.
Effects of Medical Waste on the Environment
Improper separation of different forms of medical waste from the origin point causes a domino effect on the surroundings and environment that sustains dangers to natural resources such as soil & water, people, and animals.
Improper disposal of medical waste can contaminate groundwater that infects human life and animals, including other life forms on earth. Medical waste ranging from hospital waste to storage receptacles & landfills need to be kept away from rodents, birds, stray animals, and humans. In addition, it enhances the labeling and packaging of contaminants along with prevention of the illness from spread through animal and human populations by land, air, and water.
Besides, if not contained and segregated properly via off-site or on-site incineration, hazards from healthcare waste management can pollute the air you breathe through harmful airborne particles.
In addition, radioactive particles are produced through diagnostic technologies that can reach to landfill and other parts of the environment that can cause several diseases and illnesses.
Effects of Medical Waste on the Health
Coming in touch with improperly disposed of biomedical wastes can contribute to the following illnesses:
- Tuberculosis
- Cholera
- Bacteremia
- Skin diseases
- Parasitic infections
- Lung infections
- Viral illnesses such as Hepatitis B and C, HIV
Sharp needle stick injury raises the risk of employees’ health regularly. The contamination risk by contagious viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis B & C are the main concerns of healthcare workers inside medical and health care facilities.
Ways to Manage Medical Waste
The health and medical industry has come a long way to implement biomedical waste regulations for managing and disposal. The major medical waste is disposed of with through on-site incineration or autoclaving in many facilities. In addition, Sharps medical waste is regulated through their disposal in proper containers.
Medical waste generators are responsible for hazardous waste management. Therefore, on-site management is important and also it the legal and ethical responsibility of the waste generator.
Conclusion
As medical waste is dangerous and quite harmful for the environment and living beings, sustainable waste disposal solutions are needed to reduce them and its effects. Every step, no matter how small, can help the environment.