Medical Waste Pollution

Medical Waste Pollution

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Medical waste pollution is a growing problem in the United States.

Since medical or biohazardous waste generated by health care facilities poses serious health risks and environmental pollution issues - it is heavily regulated to ensure proper management.

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What is Medical Waste?

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Medical waste is any waste that has been contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials.

The World Health Organization has outlined the following categories of healthcare waste:

• Infectious waste
• Pathological waste
• Sharps waste
• Chemical waste
• Pharmaceutical waste
• Cytotoxic waste
• Radioactive waste
• General waste

While a large percentage of the waste generated by hospitals is not regulated medical waste, around 15% is hazardous and is heavily regulated.

Since health-care waste contains potentially infectious materials which can affect the environment and human health, there are strict guidelines regarding every step of the medical waste disposal process.

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How does Medical Waste Pollute the Environment?

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Medical waste pollutes the environment in several ways.

When medical waste is disposed of in landfills before it is properly sterilized, it can seep into the soil and contaminate water. Additionally, medical waste contains infectious waste materials which can transmit bloodborne pathogens.

Even when medical waste is managed properly, the treatment and disposal process has a negative effect on the environment.

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Medical Waste Pollution Turning Point - The 'Syringe Tide'

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In 1987, significant amounts of medical waste washed up on the East Coast.

It was reported that hundreds of used syringes and even bags of human blood plasma washed up on shores.

Some of the polluted beaches took upwards of 3 days to clean up.

This crises along the shores of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut was so significant, it became coined as the Syringe Tide.

This huge pollution awareness event combined with the outbreak of HIV / AIDS sparked regulations to address medical waste problems.

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The Start of Medical Waste Regulations

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In 1988, the Medical Waste Tracking Act (MWTA) was enacted by congress which was a two year federal program involving regulation of medical waste. These regulations heavily affected the way hospitals dispose of medical waste today.

This went into effect in 1989 in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico.

Since medical waste pollution and the transmission of bloodborne pathogens became so apparent, The MWTA was created to ensure that those who generate, handle, and dispose of medical waste are held accountable.

The law established a clear tracking system for waste generated by healthcare facilities and shaped medical waste disposal regulations into what it is today.

The MWTA outlined the following:

• Defined medical waste and outlined which waste streams would have regulations
• Outlined a "cradle to grave" tracking system onto hazardous waste generators
• Required standards for every step of the medical waste disposal process
• Required record keeping and potential penalties for improper waste management

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Cradle to Grave Responsibility

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The cradle to grave responsibility was placed on regulated medical waste generators to track their medical waste from the point of generation to the point of final disposal. Cradle to grave requirements ensure that medical waste is properly treated and does not cause environmental harm.

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Medical Waste Management Today

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Medical waste management within health care facilities has advanced significantly.

Today, proper waste management is a necessity and is highly documented. Medical waste companies track the amount of waste picked up from health care facilities as well as what waste streams, and send the facilities waste manifest details and documents for destruction to the healthcare facilities for their records.

We have come an extremely long way in addressing hospital wastes issues since 1988.

However, medical waste disposal still has a ways to go.

While we have made a move away from utilizing medical waste incinerators, a large percentage of medical waste treatment and disposal still involves incineration.

Our current methods for treatment and disposal of medical waste still contribute to environmental pollution, but a transition towards autoclave and microwave technologies is helping.

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Health Care Facilities Role in Addressing Medical Waste Pollution

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Healthcare facilities can help themselves save money and the environment by following best practices.

• Keeping healthcare workers knowledgeable on identifying health care wastes
• Properly segregating medical waste for treatment and disposal
• Avoiding any illegal or dangerous waste disposal

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It is important that health care waste management segregates each waste stream. Since regulated medical waste undergoes a serious treatment process for sterilization, placing non-hazardous wastes into your biohazard containers will cost more.

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