First three pages are to be left for presentation report.

Guidelines for project: Sides

1. Topic – Justification of Topic 1
2. Aims/Objectives ½
3. Importance (Environmental, 2½
Social, Scientific)
4. Methodology ½
5. Observation 1
6. Analysis 1/2
7. Results/Conclusion 1
8. Bibliography 1
9. Project Report Writing 4
Start from page no. 4

1) Topic: Disposal and Ill Effects of Bio-Medical Waste

Biomedical waste management has recently emerged as an issue of major concern to

health care units and also to the environment. The bio-medical wastes generated from
health care units depend upon a number of factors such as waste management
methods, type of health care units, occupancy of healthcare units, specialization of
healthcare units, ratio of reusable items in use, availability of infrastructure and
resources etc.

The hazards of poor management of biomedical waste have aroused the concern world
over, especially in the light of its far-reaching effects on human, health and the
environment.

Hospital waste is a potential health hazard to the health care workers, public and flora
and fauna of the area. The problems of the waste disposal in the hospitals and other
health-care institutions have become issues of increasing concern.

Thus, I have selected this topic for my research work.

2) Aims/Objectives:

Following are the overall objectives of the study:

 To understand the ill effects of bio-medical waste on the environment and society
 To study the existing management practices of disposal of biomedical waste in
health care institutions
 To recommend some alternatives for sustainable management of biomedical
waste

3) Importance:

Today about one fourth of biomedical waste is considered as hazardous and may affect
the health of both medical personnel and general community. Thus, it is essential to
assess the ill effects of bio-medical waste and its needful disposal.

A major issue related to current Bio-Medical waste management in many hospitals is

that the implementation of Bio-Waste regulation is unsatisfactory as some hospitals are
disposing off waste in a haphazard, improper and indiscriminate manner.

Lack of segregation practices results in mixing of hospital wastes with general waste,
making the entire waste stream hazardous. There is further risk of air, water and soil
pollution directly due to waste, or due to defective incineration emissions and ash.

Inadequate Bio-Medical waste management causes environmental pollution, unpleasant

smell, breeding of insects and invites rodents, cats and dogs which lead to
the transmission of communicable diseases like typhoid, cholera, plague, rabies,
hepatitis and AIDS through injuries from contaminated syringes and needles.

Rag pickers in the hospital, sorting out the garbage are at a risk of getting tetanus and
HIV infections. The recycling of disposable syringes, needles, IV sets and other articles
like glass bottles without proper sterilization are responsible for various viral diseases
like hepatitis.

Disposed off drugs, gloves, etc are often repacked and sold by unscrupulous elements
without even being washed to unsuspecting buyers.

The problem of bio-medical waste disposal in hospitals and other healthcare

establishments has become an issue of increasing concern, prompting hospital
administration to seek new ways of scientific, safe and cost effective management of
the waste, and keeping their personnel informed about the advances in this area. It
becomes the primary responsibility of Health administrators to manage hospital waste in
a most safe and eco-friendly manner. The need of proper hospital waste management
system is of prime importance and is an essential component of quality assurance in
hospitals.
4) Methodology:

Data collection was done through 3 ways:

i. Research for information was done from medical journals and various
presentations sourced from a hospital library.
ii. Five nursing homes were visited to assess the waste disposal method
followed by each of them.
iii. A few informal phone interviews were taken of assistant doctors and nurses
to ascertain their role in bio-medical waste management.

5) Observation:

Composition of Bio-Medical Waste

Non-Hazardous Waste,
85%
Infectious Hazardous
Waste, 10%
Non-Infectious Waste, 5%

Amount of Bio-Medical
Waste
5

3
Quantity
2 (kg/bed/day)
1

0
U.K. U.S.A. France Spain India

6) Analysis:
I. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates:
a. 85% of hospital waste is non - hazardous

b. 10% is infectious

c. 5% is non – infectious

With the heightened health consciousness among the general public, it is essential to
efficiently deal with the infectious waste that amounts to 10% of the total bio-medical
waste generated.

II. The amount of waste (kg/bed/day) generated in 5 different countries has been
compared. It is observed that the US generates the maximum amount of waste
whereas; India ranks the lowest in bio-medical waste generation.

7) Conclusion:

Concluding from the results, the importance of training regarding biomedical waste management
cannot be overemphasized; lack of proper and complete knowledge about biomedical waste
management impacts practices of appropriate waste disposal.

Following recommendations are proposed:

(i) strict implementation of biomedical waste management rules is the need of the
hour
(ii) it should be made compulsory for healthcare facilities to get their healthcare
personnel trained from accredited training centers. These training sessions should
not become merely a one-time activity but should be a continuous process
depending upon the patient input in different healthcare facilities,
(iii) training of sanitary staff should be specially emphasized
(iv) It should be ensured that the injuries happening to the healthcare personnel are
reported to the person in-charge of biomedical waste management or to the
biomedical waste management committee, and they report it in the prescribed
format to the pollution control board.
8) Bibliography:

1. Babu, Ramesh; Parande, A.K.; Rajalakshmi, R.;(2009) Management of Biomedical

Waste in India and Other Countries: A Review, J. Int. Environmental Application &
Science, Vol. 4, Issue 1, p. 65-78
2. Mathur, Vanesh; Dwivedi, S.; Hassan, MA(2011) Knowledge, Attitude and Practices
about Biomedical Waste among Healthcare Personnel : A Cross-sectional Study, Indian
Journal of Commubnity Medicine, Vol. 36, Issue 2, p. 143-145

3. Shakeer kahn, P.; Raviprabhu, G. (2013) Knowledge aboutbiomedical waste

management among medical students of a tertiary care hospital, Tirupati, International
Journal of Research in Health Sciences, Vol. 1, Issue 2, p. 41-43

4. Mathur, Praveen; Patan, Sangeeta (2012) Need of Biomedical Waste Management

System in Hospitals – An Emerging Issue – A Review, Current World Environment, Vol.
7, Issue 1, p. 117-124

9) Project Report Writing:

Medical care is vital for our life and health, but the waste generated from medical
activities represents a real problem of living nature and human world. Improper
management of waste generated in health care facilities causes a direct health impact
on the community, the health care workers and on the environment.
Every day, relatively large amount of potentially infectious and hazardous waste are
generated in the health care facilities around the world. This project report intends to
highlight that the proper management of biomedical waste has become a worldwide
humanitarian topic today.

There is a big network of Health Care Institutions in India. Thus, it is very essential for
the hospital waste to be properly collected, segregated, stored, transported, treated and
disposed off in a safe manner to prevent hospital-acquired infection.

Health care waste is a heterogeneous mixture, which is very difficult to manage as

such. But the problem can be simplified and its dimension can be reduced considerably
if a proper management system is planned.
Incineration, non-Incineration, autoclaving, microwaving, etc. are examples of a few
methods used for BMW disposal.

Benefits of Biomedical Waste Management

´ Cleaner and healthier surroundings.
´ Reduction in the incidence of hospital acquired and general infections.
´ Reduction in the cost of infection control within the hospital.
´ Reduction in the possibility of disease and death due to reuse and repackaging of
infectious disposables.
´ Low incidence of community and occupational health hazards.
´ Improved image of the healthcare establishment and increases the quality of life.

Recommendations
 1. Bio-medical waste should not be mixed with other waste of Municipal
Corporation.
2. Special vehicle should be assigned to collect waste from health care facilities and
carry it up to the main incinerator.
3. The whole of the waste should be fragmented into colors due to their hazardous
nature.
4. Housekeeping staff should wear protective devices such as gloves, face masks,
gowns, while handling the waste.

Medical wastes should be classified according to their source, typology and risk factors
associated with their handling, storage and ultimate disposal. The segregation of waste
at source is the key step and reduction, reuse and recycling should be considered in
proper perspectives.

We need to consider innovative and radical measures to clean up the distressing picture
of lack of civic concern on the part of hospitals and slackness in government
implementation of bare minimum of rules, as waste generation particularly biomedical
waste imposes increasing direct and indirect costs on society.

The challenge before us, therefore, is to scientifically manage growing quantities of

biomedical waste that go beyond past practices. If we want to protect our environment
and health of community we must sensitize ourselves to this important issue not only in
the interest of health managers but also in the interest of community.