Hospital waste

Submitted by Zunaira Fareed

Final year student of Environnmental Sciences
Islamia university of Bahawalpur.
Submitted to Mr. Ansar Abbas- Assistant director of
EPA
 What is waste?
• Waste (or wastes) are unwanted or unusable
materials.
• Waste is any substance discarded after primary use,
or is worthless, defective and of no use.
Types of waste
Hospital waste
• The term 'Hospital' means a clinic,
laboratory, dispensary, pharmacy,
nursing home, health unit, maternity
centre, blood bank, autopsy centre,
research institute, and veterinary
institutions
• Including any other facility involved in
healthcare and biomedical activities.
What is hospital medical waste?

• Hospital medical waste is any refuse generated through

the course of normal hospital operations.
• Hospital medical waste disposal is one of the most
important functions of any medical facility.
• Failure to properly handle and dispose of medical waste
can cause environmental hazards and even widespread
illness.
The Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
defines in the following terms:
• "All waste materials generated at health care facilities,
such as hospitals, clinics, physician's offices, dental
practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/clinics, as
well as medical research facilities and laboratories."
Classifications of hospital
medical waste
• Medical waste is very serious and needs to be disposed of
properly, but this can be difficult without knowing what kind
of waste you have
• There are generally 4 different kinds of medical waste:
1. Infectious
2. hazardous
3. radioactive and
4. general.
1. Infectious waste:
• Simply put, infectious waste is any waste that
poses the threat of infection to humans.
• This can include human/animal tissue, blood-soaked
bandages, surgical gloves, cultures, sample
flasks, containers and swabs.
• Some infectious waste can even be label as
pathological, which is any waste that could contain
pathogens.
2. hazardous waste
• Hazardous waste is waste that poses a threat of harm either
through pollution, poisoning, or injury, and is therefore
considered dangerous.
• This includes pharmaceuticals, chemical solvents, and old
surgical and examination tools.
• Though this category of waste does not include materials that
could cause harm via infection, it does have the potential to
cause significant harm to people and the environment.
3. Radioactive waste
• Numerous diseases are diagnosed and
treated using radiology.
• Cancer therapies use radioactive
treatments, and even basic diagnostic
technologies like x-rays, mammography,
positron emission tomography (PET), and
fluoroscopy use radiation.
• The by-products that have been exposed to
nuclear isotopes are classified as
radioactive waste.
• This waste, if handled and disposed of
improperly, could pose widespread health
risks.
4. General waste:
• Most medical waste falls under the general
category, and is no different from your general
household or office waste.
• General waste includes things like paper,
plastics, liquids, and anything else that doesn't
fit into the previous three categories.
Hospital waste management:
• Waste management includes waste segregation, waste
collection, waste transportation, waste storage, waste
disposal, and waste minimization and reuse.
• One estimate shows that some 5.2 million people
(including 4 million children) die each year from waste-
related diseases.
• Hospital wastes pose a significant impact on health and
environment.
• So there is a dire need for the enforcement and
implementation of Hospital Waste Management (HWM)
rules in all the hospitals of Punjab for the proper handling,
minimization and final disposal of the waste.
❑ Techniques
• For disposal of hospital waste, following techniques are used:
➢ Incineration
➢ Steam Autoclave Disinfection
➢ Microwave Disinfection
➢ Mechanical / Chemical Disinfection
 ❑ Conclusion
• Medical waste is classified as any possibly
contaminated by-product of medical research,
treatment, or other healthcare activity. It can come
from physician’s offices, dentists, veterinary clinics,
research laboratories, or funeral homes.
Thank you