Introduction
Biomedical waste is hazardous, and it adversely affects the town environments all across the world, most specifically in developing nations that have poor waste management schemes. In urban areas, healthcare facilities are planned as places for the treatment, diagnosis, and analysis of patients with various medical issues. Medical centres house quite a number of intricate doings that lead to the generation of unavoidable solid waste. The solid waste produced is known as “healthcare waste”; the waste includes both non-biological and biological wastes that are thrown away, never to be used again. There are three classifications of medical waste: domestic waste, medical waste, and infectious waste. Infectious waste may be defined as waste that comes from a patient who suffers from an infectious illness and has the capability to produce infectious diseases.
Medical waste, on the other hand, is the minerals which accrue as a result of patient treatment, immunization, or diagnosis. It is important to know that the majority of the cases of medical waste are well-thought-out to be infectious waste if other wastes and medical wastes are not collected disjointedly. Out of all the waste produced by medical centres, eight per cent of it is termed infectious waste, while the remaining twenty per cent is classified as hazardous substances that may be radioactive, infectious, or even toxic. The paper shall, therefore, go ahead and discuss the effects that medical waste has on the environment.
When we talk about the environment, human beings and other living animals are inclusive of this because they are all constituents of the environment. According to research, the hospital poses a threat to the environment, the health of human beings and other life forms. With regard to the health staff, there are three most common infections that are usually transmitted as a result of medical waste. We have hepatitis C (HVC) virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and hepatitis B (HBV) virus. Likewise, the staff whose responsibility is to collect and treat medical waste are exposed to specific risks. As medical practitioners begin their shifts, one of their everyday concerns is about biohazard waste discarding. There are specified protocols that must be followed so as to keep healthcare contaminants away from patients, their colleagues, and themselves. What most people fail to understand is that the issue of proper disposal of medical waste is crucial, also these wastes can have adverse and direct impacts on the environment if they are not handled with care. Some of the consequences of medical waste on the environment include:
Contamination Of Ground Water With Biohazards
The main reason why landfills are created is to keep waste within a controlled zone. These wastes are even lined with particular constituents so that the nearby groundwater and soil are not contaminated. The improper disposal of biometric wastes may compromise even the most perfect landfill scheme. For example, syringes disposed into regular landfills tear the lining with ease, and as it rains in the future, those contaminants within the landfill slip into the soil and into the ground. This, therefore, causes the pollution of the groundwater from medical waste.
Radioactivity Pollution
Most medical practitioners usually use various devices and tools for analytical purposes. Some of these items are disposable and, at the same time, radioactive. So, if they are mishandled, there is a high possibility that radioactivity can find its way into landfills and other regions. Radioactive substances emit particles which are dangerous to human beings. In fact, consistent exposure to radioactivity can cause an individual to develop chronic illnesses. Therefore, it is very important to observe strict rules whenever it comes to dealing with radioactive medical waste.
Airborne Pollution
Other than disposing of medical waste in landfills, they may also be destroyed through the process of incineration. However, if the ignition is done in an improper manner, it might result in pollutants that move freely through the air. Incineration facilities have to be able to devise a way in which they destroy every single atom of these medical wastes. Burning of this waste is clearly a mismatch between the solution and the problem itself. Studies have proved that once medical wastes are burnt, they produce more furan and dioxin per ton of the burnt waste. Due to the ability of airborne pollutants to move faster, they are more risky as compared to land pollutants. It is, therefore, crucial for all people who are near biomedical waste to be aware of how to handle it. Each and every person has the responsibility to protect the environment from the improper disposal of biohazard waste. The earth, together with her resources, would be protected if we all cared for nature.
Wildlife And Pharmaceuticals
If biohazard wastes are handled improperly, they can easily end up close to the habitats of wild animals. Parks, lakes, and other regions of natural habitat for various fauna and birds. Leaked medicine, either in liquid or pill form, is a very curious item to these wild animals. The animals might get attracted either by the smell or to the colour. Thus, they end up consuming these drugs out of inquisitiveness. This condition may either kill or injure the animal severely.
Biomedical Waste Storage And Segregation
The issue of biometric waste segregation must be examined with extreme care because the generalized operational procedures of biometric waste separation have an influence on the cost and the type of biometric waste treatment to be undertaken. The different forms of waste must be isolated and stored in a proper bag or container. These storage vessels must have certain properties, which include being able to accommodate a standard volume and withstand the weight of the waste without being damaged, and they should be leak-free. Containers must have lids and must be preferably operated on foot. When the containers and bags fill up to three-quarters of their capacity, they have to be labelled and appropriately sealed. Taking into consideration the National and European Legislation, which states that enough symbols must be pictured for all the different forms of waste. According to their code, wastes that should be labelled include pharmaceutical wastes, sharps, chemical wastes, genotoxic wastes, pathological wastes, infectious wastes, radioactive wastes, and also wastes with a great composition of hefty alloys. For the purpose of separation within the storage areas, displays of different colour codes have been designed according to the rules of the legislation. The color yellow is for hazardous medical wastes, and the colour black is for nonhazardous wastes.
Biomedical Waste Handling And Transportation
For this activity, three chief components are incorporated. First is the collection of the various types of waste from the waste containers or storage bags found in hospitals. The second step is transportation and intermediate storage of these medical wastes in premises awaiting treatment or disposal. Lastly, the biometric wastes have to be relocated to the disposal or treatment facilities in the safest manner. The motor vehicle used to carry these wastes must contain various specifications. The vehicle should be sealed and appropriately covered to secure against accidental leakage or opening of the door.
Biomedical Waste Treatment And Disposal
Various methods have been designed to render medical waste to be appealingly acceptable and environmentally harmless. The biomedical waste law clearly explains the most appropriate waste treatment and disposal techniques, and this is done in accordance with the different types of waste generated in health centres. Correspondingly, there has been the development of diverse treatment technologies and methods, beginning from the hazardous traits and the chemical components of medical waste. These technologies and methods include general waste, microwave treatment, autoclave treatment, sanitary and secured landfilling, hydroclave treatment, incineration, and chemical disinfection. Below, we shall discuss the above-listed methods in detail.
Incineration
This is the use of a high-temperature warm air procedure that involves burning the wastes under regulated conditions to convert them to gases and inert materials. There are three types of incinerators: those that are powered by electricity, others by oil, and others that use a combination of the two. Broadly, the three types of incinerators used for treating biomedical waste are controlled air types, multiple hearth types, and rotary kilns. All three incinerators contain both secondary and primary compartments so as to ensure the finest incineration. In the multiple hearths, the solid is combusted in the primary compartment, while the gas is combusted in the secondary compartment. Both chambers are also referred to as “excess air incinerators” because there is excess air in both the secondary and primary compartments.
A rotary kiln, on the other hand, is a tube-shaped intractable lined shell that is mounted in a tilted position to facilitate the mixing of the waste as it moves in the tube. There is a provision of air circulation, hence the kiln acts as a main solid phase cubicle which is trailed by the secondary chamber for the gas combustion. In the final type of incinerator, the prime compartment functions at low air levels, trailed by a superfluous air compartment. Owing to the low oxygen levels in the first chamber, it becomes easier to control the matter in the gas chamber. Lastly, incineration is proposed for discarded medicine, solid waste, animal waste, and cytotoxic drugs.
Autoclave Treatment
The process involves serialization through the use of steam while subjected to pressure. In general, it is a process of low heat where the medical waste is brought into contact with steam for a period adequate enough to disinfect these materials. There are also three categories of autoclave treatment devices, namely, retort type, magnitude type, and pre-vacuum type. For the first gravity type, the air is removed through the use of magnitude. This, therefore, makes the structure-function at temperatures of up to 121 degrees Celsius and at a steam pressure of 20psi for an hour or an hour and thirty minutes. Similarly, in the pre-vacuum type, vacuity deflates are used to remove air from the autoclave. This assists the interval sequence to be condensed to thirty minutes or an hour. It works at 132 degrees Celsius. Lastly, the retro type is designed to hold large volumes of waste, and it is also modified to operate under more pressure and at high temperatures.
Hydroclave Treatment
An innovative piece of equipment used for the sterilization process, in this case, is the Hydroclave. It is a dual-enclosed ampoule where vapour is inoculated into its external sheathing in order to warm the inside compartments encompassing the biomedical wastes. Water from the wastes vaporizes as vapour, and it forms vapour compression. The paddles, swapped by a heavy-duty tube within the chamber, flip-flop the discarded onto the searing walls of the compartment, mixing the waste well and fragmenting it. In case there is no additional moisture, more steam is injected into the chambers. The maximum time for sterilization is fifty minutes, and the treated materials can be shredded before disposal. The expected reductions in weight and volume are up to 70% and 80%, respectively. An interesting fact about the hydroclave is that it can treat the same form of medical waste just as the autoclave, in addition to the waste sharps, which are also fragmented. The benefits of this technology are that there is the absence of liquid discharge, an absence of destructive air pollutants, a reduction in the volume and weight of the states, and, to finish, there is no need for chemicals in the above-described process.
Microwave Treatment
This technology involves wet thermal disinfection, unlike thermal systems of treatment, which heat the waste outward. The heat from the microwave targets the audience from the inside out, thus providing a high degree of cleansing. Some of the benefits of microwave technology are no need for chemicals, no harmful gas emissions, and a reduction in the volume of waste. Nonetheless, the costs of investments are very high currently.
Chemical Disinfecting
It is a treatment technique recommended for solid, liquid, and sharp wastes, as well as for chemical wastes. The process of chemical treatment entails the use of a one per cent hypochlorite solution, with contact periods of thirty minutes. Other chemical proxies, such as iodine- alcohol, and phenolic compounds, may be used as agents of sterilization.
Sanitary And Secured Landfilling
This process is necessary only under certain conditions, like the burial of medical wastes, whenever there is no facility that will provide efficient incineration services. It may be done for the disposal of animal waste and hydroclave, microwaved, and autoclaved wastes. Also, it is used to discard sharps and incinerate ashes.
General Waste
It comprises the waste materials generated from stores, gardens, offices, kitchens, and other various places. These wastes are non-toxic and non-hazardous. General waste may, therefore, be treated through the composting of green waste and through the reusing of packaging materials.
In conclusion, medical waste has diverse effects on the environment. The Government and responsible bodies should ensure that they have devised various solutions to this matter. They should ensure that medical waste is properly collected, stored, transported, and treated. Similarly, it is the responsibility of the medical staff who generate these medical wastes to make sure that they dispose of the tools they use to treat patients. If medical wastes are not controlled, they will poison our land, groundwater, and wildlife, and even some of the wastes will be deposited in large water masses, hence killing aquatic life. As a final point, those medical institutions and people found guilty of improper disposal of biomedical waste should be arrested and convicted.
