Hospital Waste Treatment

Medical waste includes a vast range of materials such as needles, syringes, dressings, body parts, blood, pharmaceuticals and even radioactive materials. If hospital waste is not treated properly, it can lead to health issues for those who are exposed to it, and it also pollutes the environment. Hospital waste should be segregated at the point of generation for proper disposal.

Chemical Disinfection

• A common method for treating medical waste is chemical disinfection using chlorine products. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes chemical disinfection as the best method for treating liquid medical waste. Often, the chemical treatment process is combined with a mechanical process such as shredding to make sure that all the medical waste is exposed to the chemicals. The liquid waste thus treated is usually expelled directly to a sewer system. The disinfectant is normally combined with a large amount of water, which helps in the disinfection process and cools the equipment used in the shredding process.

Irradiation

• In irradiation, the medical waste is exposed to a cobalt source. The cobalt source generates gamma radiation that in turn inactivates microbes in the waste. The cost of developing the infrastructure required for using this technique is pretty high. Another disadvantage is the risk of exposing workers to radiation. Moreover, this method cannot be used for treatment of pathological waste.

Thermal Treatment

• Thermal treatment uses high temperature to destroy the microbes in the waste. The most common type of thermal treatment for medical waste is incineration. This method uses very high temperatures to destroy the hydrocarbon content in the waste.

Microwave Treatment

• Microwaves are also being used to disinfect medical waste. First, the medical waste is shredded. Then it is blended with water and treated with microwaves. The waste is heated internally. Steam is generated at high temperatures, which neutralizes all microbes in the waste. This treated waste is safe to be disposed of in a landfill. This method is less costly than incineration.

Facts

• Improper treatment of hospital waste creates a lot of health risks to the public. The failure to properly dispose of syringes and needles can result in them being repackaged, leading to an unsafe reuse. Also, mismanagement of hospital waste leads to health risks to all those who are exposed to it.