Ecology Essay on Biomedical Waste

In the recent past, bio medical waste management has been an issue of major concern not only to the nursing institutions and hospitals but also in the entire environment. The quantity of biomedical waste from any health institution is dependent on the waste management system, the nature of health care facility, the ration of recyclable materials used, availability of good infrastructure and population of the patients in that particular institutions (Basu, 2012). The biomedical waste products are any waste material that is produced during the patient diagnosis process, treatment or immunization of human and animal (Shafee, Kasturwar, & Nirupama, 2010). Besides, the biomedical waste can be produced during the research activities, production or analyzing of biological related contents. The biomedical waste products include; body fluids, bandages, blades, surgical clothes, surgical cotton, blood, needles, scalpels, human tissues, chemicals, body organs, and discarded medicines (Shafee, et al., 2010).

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There is a need for every health institution or research centers to have a proper biomedical waste management system. The biomedical waste materials if not handled properly may have adverse health effects on the patients, hospital attendants, researchers in biological research facilities and the entire environment. There should be a proper channel of transporting the biomedical wastes from their source to disposing center. It is necessary to handle the waste with caution since they can be infectious and hazardous (Mathur, Dwivedi, Hassan & Misra 2011).

Classification of Biomedical waste can fall into five broad categories. General waste makes up most of the waste found in healthcare facilities and includes any noninfectious waste such as papers, plastics, and leftovers. Infectious and potentially infectious waste is that which can make people sick. It includes body fluids like blood, saliva and pus, body organs and parts, soiled bandages and cotton wool, used surgical gloves, bacteria cultures or swabs.

Pathological waste is that which is known or suspected to contain disease-causing microorganisms which require specific treatment before disposal. Infectious waste can also fall into this category. Sharps describe waste that can puncture the skin like surgical scalpels, scissors, and needles but also includes syringes, culture dishes and other glassware used in laboratories. Radioactive waste comes from nuclear treatment like cancer therapies and other procedures that use radioactive isotopes. Any other waste that comes into contact with radioactive waste falls into this category. Pharmaceutical waste includes expired drugs or test drugs created in medical research laboratories that are not considered safe for consumption. (Mathur, Patan, & Shobhawat, 2012)

There exists a standard procedure that guides activities in biomedical waste management. It follows four main steps. The first one is collection and segregation of waste. There should be a systematic and efficient method of waste collection. Any place where the waste is generated should have bins to avoid careless disposal into the environment. Liquid waste as that produced when cleaning surgical equipment should be disinfected before being released into drains (Glasziou et al., 2014). Segregation is collecting together similarly harmful waste in one place, separate from other types. It keeps non-hazardous waste from turning hazardous and makes disposal easy.

The second step is storage and transportation of waste. Sometimes waste has to be stored for a while awaiting collective disposal. Storage and transport mediums should be designed to ensure that there is no possible leakage. Regulatory bodies determine storage time allowed in their countries. The third step is treatment. Infectious, radioactive and pathological waste has to be made safe to avoid contamination of dumping sites. The final step is disposal which takes place on-site where the waste is generated or off-site in a facility that offers those services. However, on-site disposal is costly and only works for big hospitals and institution that have space and resources for it. Hazardous waste can be buried deep in the soil where animals and erosion cannot dig it up.

Segregation usually uses standard color coding to identify where to put different types of waste. Yellow disinfected plastic bags, and bins should contain human and animal tissue, microbiological laboratory waste and solid waste like bandages, gauzes and hospital linen soiled with body fluids. Red disinfected containers, and plastic bags carry microbiological waste and solid waste. Sharps go into blue or white tear proof bags and containers while black plastic bags contain discarded drugs, incineration ash, chemical waste from hospital and pharmaceutical labs and any other non-contagious waste

There are different ways of biomedical waste treatment which help to decrease or eliminate the danger of biomedical waste and make it unidentifiable. Incineration is a commonly used treatment to destroy pathogens and sharps where it reduces these materials into ash. Incineration methods include: Autoclaving uses high-temperature steam and pressure to sterilize recyclable medical equipment. Most hospitals use this method, so there is need to take care that waste management departments do not contaminate other medical supplies by erecting strict procedures and schedules in this sector. Chemical treatment is also useful, especially when sterilizing liquid waste. Bleach and sodium hydroxide solutions are used to clean surfaces and disinfect waste respectively. Microwaving generates high-frequency waves that vibrate the cells of an organism creating internal heat which results in implosion. Devices such as shredders can be used to destroy the waste.

A person can take deliberate actions to avoid biohazard contamination by washing hands and any other body part that has contacted biomedical waste thoroughly. He can use soap and warm water, keeping open cuts and wounds covered, replacing wet or soiled bandages and wearing disposable latex gloves when handling anything potentially infectious (Macleod et al., 2014). When handling chemical and gaseous waste, one should wear an apron, heavy duty gloves and a gas mask for safety. Decontamination of reusable waste storage containers is done by removing any visible solid residue and washing the containers with bleach.

Proper biomedical waste disposal has significant benefits. It helps to minimize hospital-acquired infections both for patients and healthcare providers. Exposure to infected needles can lead to HIV infection. Radioactive poisoning occurs when one comes to contact with the radioactive material for extended periods of time. It can also be considered a good source of revenue for a person that might be interested in investing there because each day an immense amount of biomedical waste is generated in hospitals. It keeps the environment clean, fresh and safe. (Sravani, 2017)

The greatest disadvantage of biomedical waste disposal is that for highly infectious waste, there is always an environmental cost. Incineration pollutes the air, landfills pollute the soil, and chemical treatments pollute the water and soil. Safe disposal methods like autoclaving are not productive in sterilizing very infectious waste (Yadavannavar, Berad, & Jagirdar 2010). Proper waste disposal is expensive in terms of time and money needed to set up equipment and keep the process operational. It is often dangerous to work in waste management because, even with protective gear, personal safety is unguaranteed. Besides, most employees are untrained and might not know how to handle some substances.

Biomedical waste disposal has some negative environmental consequences. Incinerators release pollutants into the atmosphere including harmful metals like lead and mercury, dioxin which results from incinerating chlorine based chemicals, and acid gasses like hydrogen chloride and sulfur dioxide. (Krishna, 2008) Such emissions have been responsible for public health issues like cancer, immunity disorders, developmental disorders and organ failure.

Ash residue from incineration is discarded in landfills. Pollutants in the ash can sip through the soil or get eroded and reach water sources. Waste buried in the ground could be infectious or reduce soil productivity in an area. Crops grown in the area could end up taking up pollutants in the earth making them harmful for consumption by people and animals (Yadavannavar, Berad, & Jagirdar 2010).

Disposal of unsterilized liquid waste and solid waste into water sources can lead to their contamination resulting in epidemics like cholera and typhoid (Salman, 2014). Pollutant gasses released into the air mix with rain clouds and produce acid rain which mixes with water sources and causes health problems.

To control the adverse effects of biomedical waste on human health on the environment, there is need to have a good waste management system. All health facilities must take an initiative of ensuring that the waste is treated adequately before disposing of them. An excellent treatment system will help reduce chances of contamination diseases as a result of poor waste management. Besides, the government should put stringent measures and policies control waste management. Also, the research facilities need to uphold profession ethics of reducing pollution through poor waste management.

References

Basu, M., Das, P., & Pal, R. (2012). Assessment of future physicians on biomedical waste management in a tertiary care hospital of West Bengal. Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine.

Glasziou, P., Altman, D. G., Bossuyt, P., Boutron, I., Clarke, M., Julious, S., & Wager, E. (2014). Reducing waste from incomplete or unusable reports of biomedical research. The Lancet.

Krishna, G. (2008). Environmental consequences of biomedical waste incinerators in residential areas | ToxicsWatch Alliance (TWA). Retrieved from http://www.toxicswatch.org/2008/07/environmental-consequences-of.html

Macleod, M. R., Michie, S., Roberts, I., Dirnagl, U., Chalmers, I., Ioannidis, J. P., & Glasziou, P. (2014). Biomedical research: increasing value, reducing waste. The Lancet

Mathur, P., Patan, S., & Shobhawat, A. S. (2012). Need of Biomedical Waste Management System in Hospitals An Emerging issue A Review | Current World Environment. Retrieved from http://www.cwejournal.org/vol7no1/need-of-biomedical-waste-management-system-in-hospitals-an-emerging-issue-a-review/

Mathur, V., Dwivedi, S., Hassan, M. A., & Misra, R. P. (2011). Knowledge, attitude, and practices about biomedical waste management among healthcare personnel: A cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Community Medicine.

Salman, R. A. S., Beller, E., Kagan, J., Hemminki, E., Phillips, R. S., Savulescu, J., & Chalmers, I. (2014). Increasing value and reducing waste in biomedical research regulation and management. The Lancet.

Shafee, M., Kasturwar, N. B., & Nirupama, N. (2010). Study of knowledge, attitude and practices regarding biomedical waste among paramedical workers. Indian Journal of Community Medicine.

Sravani. (2017). Advantages and Disadvantages of Waste Management - WiseStep [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-waste-management/

Yadavannavar, M. C., Berad, A. S., & Jagirdar, P. B. (2010). Biomedical waste management: A study of knowledge, attitude, and practices in a tertiary health care institution in Bijapur. Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine.