Different Ways for Hospital Waste Management in the US
Hospitals in the United States generate nearly 3.4 billion pounds of solid waste every year. Such a massive volume of medical waste and its environmental impacts have been the cost of doing healthcare business for hospitals.
Depending on the volume and nature of medical waste, hospitals have a few options to dispose of the waste based on state regulations. For example, if you have a healthcare facility, the medical waste is regulated through treatment or disposal right from the time it is produced.
According to the state regulations, infectious medical wastes contain enough pathogens to infect humans and animals.
It means the hospitals should have a proper medical waste management system. Another way is letting a professional company handle the disposal of medical waste safely to reduce or eliminate the potential of infections from that waste.
Various Categories of Hospital Waste
Generally, there are four different categories of hospital waste: hazardous, infectious, general, and radioactive. Let’s delve into the differences of each of them:
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste is a substance that can affect humans in non-infectious ways. This waste may include compounds, such as chemicals (medical/pharmaceutical), sharps (needles, lancets, scalpels, etc.), and old drugs. Hazardous waste requires careful treatment, and only an experienced medical waste removal company should be given the responsibility to safely dispose of the waste.
Infectious Waste
Infectious waste poses a threat to humans for its ability to infect. It can include blood-soaked bandages, human/animal tissue, cultures, surgical gloves, stocks, or swabs. Some infectious waste can even be pathological, and they may contain pathogens.
General Waste
Most medical waste falls into the category of general waste, and it is similar to typical waste produced in households or offices. Some examples of general waste include liquids, paper, plastics, and anything else that does not fall into the three other categories.
Radioactive Waste
Radioactive waste is generated from nuclear medicine treatments, medical equipment, and cancer therapies that use radioactive isotopes. Besides, any pathological waste contaminated by radioactive substances is also considered radioactive waste. The radiation of this waste poses several potential health hazards and should only be disposed of by a professional hospital waste management company.
Various Ways of Hospital Waste Disposal
Medical waste disposal is particularly crucial for hospitals because some of that waste may have contamination with diseases or dangerous pathogens. Different medical wastes are treated and disposed of differently and require expertise. Here is how a professional hospital waste disposal company will dispose of medical waste.
1. Autoclaving
The autoclaving process involves steam sterilization. This process uses hot steam for a specific period. When the process ends, it destroys all the microorganisms. Autoclaving is highly effective because it is much more economical than other methods, and does not pose any health risk. Nearly 90 percent of medical waste is sanitized using autoclaving before sending it to a landfill.
2. Incineration
Incineration is a fast and easy medical waste disposal method. This method can remove the waste completely by safely removing microorganisms. However, the emission from burning hazardous substances can pose serious health hazards. Before using this method, the materials should be reviewed and identified as safe to burn.
3. Chemical Disinfection
In the case of liquid waste, chemical disinfection is a common medical waste disposal method. Chlorine is regularly used in this method and is applied to liquid waste to eliminate microorganisms and pathogens. Also, chemical disposal is often used for solid wastes, but it is suggested that should be grinded first for maximum decontamination.
4. Microwaving
During the microwaving process, medical waste is first shredded, mixed with water, and subsequently heated internally to kill microorganisms and other hazardous substances. A key benefit of this process is that shredding reduces the volume of medical waste, and it is said to be a more energy-efficient method than incineration.
5. Irradiation
Through the irradiation method, medical waste is sterilized by exposing it to a cobalt source. Cobalt has high-energy gamma radiation that destroys all microbes in the medical waste. However, the steep cost of cobalt leads to high operating costs and is not suitable for commercial ventures to use this technology for the treatment and disposal of medical waste.
6. Thermal Inactivation
Thermal inactivation is about heating medical waste to temperatures, killing infectious agents. This method is mainly used for treating liquid clinical wastes in large volumes. During this process, a chamber is preheated to a specific and intense temperature and kept for a certain time before releasing it.
Conclusion
Before implementing a strategy to dispose of medical waste, hospitals in across the US states should ensure that they are familiar with the applicable state regulations. Besides, the waste disposal process also involves assessing costs, capabilities, and associated health and environmental risks.
