Literature study

Hospital waste management-

bio - hazard waste disposal
BIO – HAZARD WASTE MANAGEMENT

Any waste which is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of

human beings or animals or in research or animals or in research activities pertaining
thereto or in the production or testing of biological substances.

Causes: Packaging, segregation, treatment and disposal of biomedical waste.

Classification of biomedical waste:

Infectious waste: this waste suspected to contain pathogens in sufficient quantity to

causes diseases in susceptible hosts. This category includes – cultures and stocks of
infectious agents from laboratory work ; waste from surgery on patients with infectious
disease ; infected animals from laboratories.
Pathological waste: it consists of tissues, organs, body, body parts, human fetuses,
and animal carcasses, blood and body fluids.
SHARPS: these are the items that could cause cuts or puncture wounds including-
needles, scalpel and other blades, knives, infusion sets, saws, broken glass and nails
Pharmaceutical waste: it includes expired, unused, split and contaminated
pharmaceutical products, drugs and vaccines and sera.
Genotoxic waste: this waste is highly hazardous and may have mutagenic, teratogenic
or carcinogenic properties.
It raises serious safety problems both inside hospitals and after disposal and should be
given special attention. It includes certain cytostatic drugs, vomit, urine or feces from
patients treated with cytostatic drugs, chemicals and radioactive material.
Chemical waste: it consists of discarded solid , liquid and gaseous chemicals.
Chemical waste maybe hazardous or non-hazardous. It is hazardous if it is toxic
corrosive flammable, reactive and genotoxic.
Wastes with high content of heavy metals: it represents a subcategory of
hazardous chemical waste, and is usually highly toxic. It includes batteries,
broken thermometer and blood-pressure gauges.
Pressurized containers: many types of gas are used in health care and are often
stored in pressurized cylinders, cartridges, and aerosol cans. Common gases are-
anesthetic gases, ethylene oxide , oxygen and compressed air.
Radioactive waste: it includes the x-rays, α and β-particles and γ-rays emitted by
radioactive substances. α -particles have low penetration power and are
hazardous to humans mostly when inhaled or ingested. β -particles have the
ability to penetrate into human skin. γ -particles their penetrating power is high
and lead shielding is required to reduce their intensity.
SOURCES OF WASTE: hospitals, health care centers, blood banks, bio
technological institution.
 TREATMENT/
WASTE
DISPOSAL

● Human and ● Incineration &

anatomical waste deep burial
● Dressing & ● Plasma pyrolysis
bandage
● Solid waste
● Expired &
discarded
medicine
● Chemical waste
DISPOSABLE RUBBER ● Autoclaving /
ITEMS microwaving /
● Tubing : iv set , chemical
catheters, NG tube treatment and
● Used gloves send to recycling
● Specimen container
● Glassware (vials
● Disinfection /
& ampoules,
autoclaving /
glass bottles )
microwaving
● Metallic body
implant
● Syringes ● Auto or dry heat
● Needles sterilization
● Scalpels
● Other sharp
equipment
● General hospital ● Secure landfills
waste
● Food waste
● Paper waste
● Water bottles
Process
Autoclaving
The process of autoclaving involves steam sterilization. Instead of incineration, which can be expensive,
autoclaving simply introduces very hot steam for a determined amount of time. At the end of the process,
microorganisms have been completely destroyed. This process is particularly effective because it costs much
less than other methods, and doesn’t present any personal health risks. While some biomedical waste isn’t able
to be disposed of via autoclaving, around 90% of materials are sanitized this way before being sent on to a
landfill.

Incineration
Incineration is a high temperature dry oxidation process, that reduces organic and combustible waste to
inorganic incombustible matter and results in a very significant reduction of waste volume and weight. The
process is usually selected to treat wastes that cannot be recycled, reused or disposed off in a landfill site .The
major benefits of incineration are that it is quick, easy and simple. It effectively removes the waste entirely, and
safely removes any microorganisms. However, when burning hazardous materials, emissions can be particularly
dangerous.

TYPES OF INCINERATORS

● Double chamber pyrolytic incinerators

● Single chamber furnaces
● Rotary kilns
 DOUBLE CHAMBER
INCINERATOR

ROTARY KILN:
Operating at high temperatures, capable of causing
decomposition of genotoxic substances and heat
resistant chemicals
CHEMICAL DISINFECTION

● Chemicals are added to waste to kill or inactive the pathogens it contains,

this treatment usually results in disinfection rather than sterilization.
● Bleaching powder and sodium hypochlorite are used
● Chemical disinfection is most suitable for treating liquid waste such as
blood, urine, stools or hospital sewage.
● However, solid wastes including microbiological cultures, shapes etc, may
also be disinfected chemically with certain limitations.

WET & DRY THERMAL TREATMENT

● Wet thermal treatment-Steam disinfection

● Screw feed technology- dry thermal disinfection using a rotating auger
LAND DISPOSAL

● Land open dumps

● Sanitary landfills
- Geological isolation of waste from the environment,
- Appropriate engineering preparation before the sites is ready to accept waste,
- Staff present on site to control operations ,
- Organised deposit and daily coverage of waste

INERTIZATION

● Cement mix to prevent the waste entering water

- 65% pharmaceutical waste
- 15% lime ● It is made into cement
- 15% cement cubes/bricks and are
- 5% water stored and are also used
for construction
purposes.
● But not recommendable
for infectious waste.
Microwave irradiation:

During this process, waste is shredded, mixed with water, and then internally heated
to kill microorganisms and other harmful elements. One of the main benefits of this
process is the shredding aspect; it lowers the volume of biomedical waste, and it is
reportedly more energy efficient to use this method than to incinerate. While it can’t
be used for all biomedical wastes, it can be utilized for a good 90% of it, just like
autoclaving.

Gas sterilization:

In this process, medical waste is fed into an evacuated air-tight chamber and treated with a
sterilizing agent (such as ethylene oxide or formaldehyde). The gas that comes into contact with
the waste will kill harmful, infectious agents.It’s important to note that the EPA does not
recommend ethylene oxide for treating infectious wastes because of its toxicity.
Thermal inactivation:

This process involves heating waste to temperatures at which infectious agents are killed. It is

used for treating large volumes of liquid clinical wastes. A chamber is preheated to an intense,

specified temperature and held for a specified time, then released.

Plasma Pyrolysis:

Plasma pyrolysis is a state-of-the-art technology for safe disposal of medical waste. It is an environment-friendly
technology, which converts organic waste into commercially useful byproducts. The intense heat generated by the
plasma enables it to dispose all types of waste including municipal solid waste, biomedical waste and hazardous
waste in a safe and reliable manner. Medical waste is pyrolysed into CO, H2, and hydrocarbons when it comes in
contact with the plasma-arc. These gases are burned and produce a high temperature (around 1200oC).
https://www.slideshare.net/praveen4777/biomedical-waste-management-drpraveen-doddamani?next_sli
deshow=1

youtube