DISASTROUS EFFACT OF BIO-MEDICAL WASTEby | 02-04-2013 12:55 |
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    Medical care is vital for our life, health and well being. But the waste generated from medical activities can be hazardous, toxic and even lethal because of their high potential for diseases transmission. The hazardous and toxic parts of waste from health care establishments comprising infectious, bio-medical and radio-active material as well as sharps (hypodermic needles, knives, scalpels etc.) constitute a grave risk, if these are not properly treated/disposed or is allowed to get mixed with other municipal waste. Its propensity to encourage growth of various pathogen and vectors and its ability to contaminate other nonhazardous/ non-toxic municipal waste jeopardizes the efforts undertaken for overall municipal waste management. The rag pickers and waste workers are often worst affected, because unknowingly or unwittingly, they rummage through all kinds of poisonous material while trying to salvage items which they can sell for reuse. At the same time, this kind of illegal and unethical reuse can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. Diseases like cholera, plague, tuberculosis, hepatitis, AIDS (HIV), diphtheria etc. in either epidemic or even endemic form, pose grave public health risks. Components of Bio-medical waste (i) human anatomical waste (tissues, organs, body parts etc.), (ii) animal waste (as above, generated during research/experimentation, from veterinary hospitals etc.), (iii) microbiology and biotechnology waste, such as, laboratory cultures, micro-organisms, human and animal cell cultures, toxins etc., (iv) waste sharps, such as, hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels, broken glass etc., (v) discarded medicines and cyto-toxic drugs (vi) soiled waste, such as dressing, bandages, plaster casts, material contaminated with blood etc., (vii) solid waste (disposable items like tubes, catheters etc. excluding sharps), (viii) liquid waste generated from any of the infected areas, (ix) incineration ash, Health hazards associated with poor management of Bio-medical waste (i) Injury from sharps to staff and waste handlers associated with the health care establishment. (ii) Hospital Acquired Infection of patients due to spread of infection. (iii) Risk of infection outside the hospital for waste handlers/scavengers and eventually general public. (iv) Occupational risk associated with hazardous chemicals, drugs etc. (v) Unauthorized repackaging and sale of disposable items and unused / date expired drugs. If we talk about ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN then bio-medical also affect.So we need to talk about proper bio-medical waste management.KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND YOU
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