Curtailing hazards of bio-medical waste
Bio-medical waste management is one of the key concerns of health experts who believe that treatment of the bio-medical waste should be done in the most professional way.
Notably, about 85% of the total waste generated by healthcare activities is normal, non-hazardous waste which is comparable to household waste. The remaining 15% is considered hazardous material that may be infectious, chemical laden or radioactive.
Measures to ensure safe and environmentally sound management of healthcare waste can prevent adverse health and environmental effects from such waste, including unintended release of chemical or biological hazards.
Healthcare waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms that can infect hospital patients, healthcare workers, and the general public. Other potential hazards may include drug-resistant microorganisms that spread from healthcare facilities to the environment.
Notably, some portion of the waste generated at various private healthcare facilities ends up in open dumpers or isolated places which can prove disastrous especially for those who tend to collect plastic waste and other materials for recycling and other purposes.
The unattended waste and by-products can lead to injuries from sharp objects; exposure to pharmaceutical products, particularly antibiotics and cytotoxic drugs and substances such as mercury or dioxins.
Importantly, very little bio-medical waste is left unattended and whatever is left out from proper treatment needs to be dealt with in a scientific manner so that no hazardous effects either on the humans or the surroundings take place.
Worldwide, an estimated 16 billion injections are performed each year. These injections are a common healthcare procedure, with the majority (around 90%) used in curative care. However, not all needles and syringes are disposed off safely, creating risks of injury and infection and opportunities for reuse.
Injecting with contaminated needles and syringes has decreased significantly in low- and middle-income countries in recent years, partly due to efforts to reduce the reuse of injection equipment.
Despite this progress, unsafe injections were still responsible for 33,800 new HIV infections, 1.7 million hepatitis B infections, and 315,000 hepatitis C infections. A person who experiences a needle-stick injury from a needle used on an infected source patient has a 30%, 1.8%, and 0.3% risk of becoming infected with HBV, HCV, and HIV, respectively.
The issues concerning the disposal of bio-medical waste should be taken seriously and the governments across the globe need to work on providing well-defined legal frameworks like policies, regulations and guidelines.
The lack of awareness of the health hazards associated with healthcare waste, inadequate training in proper waste management, absence of waste management and disposal systems, inadequate financial and human resources should be addressed on priority so that the hazards associated with bio-medical waste are curtailed to the best possible limits.
