Everything in our universe sooner or later turns into a very very end result - a waste that does not carry anything useful for creating something, only takes up space, and in some cases is completely dangerous. In this article, we will tell you about medical waste, as well as how to dispose of it.
General information
The procedure for handling medical waste is being developed at the legislative level.
The largest amount of waste is disposed of through burial in specially prepared places. This method involves a lot of financial costs for transport, processing, processing, as well as for creating the very place for their destruction.
Any organization whose work is related to medicine is obliged to provide its existing employees with a safe environment for the performance of work duties. If the waste has not been properly disposed of, it can lead to the occurrence of various diseases among workers, including the mostscary and dangerous.
The danger of such waste is that it contains a huge number of microbes, various viruses and bacteria. If you handle them carelessly, violating the requirements for the collection of medical waste and their disposal, then the risk of infection, any diseases increases. Having become infected, a person poses a threat to other people, spreading the disease.
To prevent such contamination, special regulations have been adopted for the disposal of medical waste.
Key pre-disposal activities
Destruction of medical waste occurs as follows:
- Initially, it is necessary to determine the hazard class of the waste, depending on which a decision will be made that directly affects the method of disposal.
- After determining the hazard class, the company that disposes of the waste prepares certain bags or containers. They all differ in color.
- After determining the class and container, hazardous waste is moved in special vehicles to enterprises, where it will be disposed of in various ways, which we will describe later in the article.
The cargo must be sent along with the following documents:
- Address of the hospital or other medical facility that requested hazardous waste collection.
- Documents confirming the class of waste, their exact weight, as well as the names and surnames of employees transportingdangerous goods to the place of their destruction.
Sanitary and epidemiological rules and regulations (SanPiN) for medical waste are developed on the basis of the requirements of the current legislation of Russia. Control over compliance with the standards is carried out by special bodies involved in the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population.
Waste classification
The following classes of medical waste exist:
- A - this is a fairly harmless waste, their composition is somewhat similar to municipal solid waste. They had no contact with patient fluids and infected infections. It can be various packaging containers, stationery items.
- B - hazardous waste, they can be affected by some viruses. These include any items that have come into contact with the patient's blood or other biological materials.
- B - highly hazardous waste. Such materials had contact with patients who are carriers of dangerous diseases. If they get to he althy people, they can lead to infection of people and the environment. Especially hazardous waste is under special protection. These are, for example, the remains of laboratory production.
- G - toxicologically hazardous waste. These include various medicines, disinfectants that have lost their suitability for use. For example, items containing mercury in their composition, waste from medicines and what is left after the operation of the equipment.
- D - waste that has been affected by radiation. These include any waste in which the level of radiationexceeds the maximum allowable level.
After the sterilization process of class B and C medical waste, they can be temporarily stored, transported and disposed of with class A waste if they are packaged with a mark that they are completely decontaminated.
Basic treatment of medical waste
The most common recycling methods for further disposal of medical waste include:
- Incineration using incinerators.
- Pressure and high temperature sterilization.
- Disinfection with chemicals.
- Use of microwaves.
- Sterilization with special radiation.
Each of the above methods has both its pros and cons. After applying any of the above treatment procedures, medical waste can be destroyed together with household waste in a common landfill. If the waste is in liquid form, then it can be safely dumped into the sewer, which is what most companies specializing in this do.
Incineration
In this process, the waste is burned in special furnaces. Such garbage can not be pre-sorted, as it is completely destroyed. The advantage of incineration is that this method is suitable for any kind of medical waste. The main disadvantage is that at the time of waste incineration, along with smoke, a large amount of harmful chemicals are released into the atmosphere, which can subsequentlynegatively affect the environment.
Steam sterilization
This is done with a special preparation - an autoclave, under pressure and at high temperature. With its help, linen, dressings, laboratory glassware are sterilized, and it is also used before the destruction of waste in landfills.
Choosing this type of disinfection, the waste must be subjected to additional processing - grinding, so that in the future they will not be used for other purposes. After that, you can not be afraid of the disposal of medical waste in general landfills.
Chemical disinfection
Carried out with the help of chlorine-containing substances. Most of all, this procedure is suitable for the disposal of liquid waste. Once successfully processed, they can be disposed of down the drain, along with any other liquids.
Using microwaves
Before destruction by this method, any waste must be crushed, after which it is mixed with water and exposed to microwave radiation. Thanks to the heat and steam released, the waste heats up equally and all hazardous substances come out of them. After that, medical waste can be thrown into regular landfills. This method is one of the newest compared to others and is considered a good alternative to the incineration process, as it requires much less financial costs.
