Studies of Mixed Solid Waste in Reference to Biomedical Waste
Effective Management and Strategic Actions
by Dr. Manoj Kumar Ray*, Dr. Akhilesh Kumar,
- Published in Journal of Advances and Scholarly Researches in Allied Education, E-ISSN: 2230-7540
Volume 16, Issue No. 9, Jun 2019, Pages 1026 - 1031 (6)
Published by: Ignited Minds Journals
ABSTRACT
Within the domain of municipal solid wastes, bio-medical wastes acquire a special dimension, since it is infected and hazardous. In hospitals and health care facilities, waste generated differs from municipal waste in general. Only one of these collection, transport and final disposal systems which be needed by municipal wastes in general. This could involve more structures, as they include parts of the body, human tissues and animal tissues, toxic wastes, gaze, cotton, plastics, liquid waste contaminated, blood and wastes from laboratories. This paper provides comprehensive discussion on mixed solid waste in reference to Biomedical Waste and makes some recommendations for their effective management besides discusses the key strategic actions required for an effective bio-medical waste management plan preparation.
KEYWORD
mixed solid waste, biomedical waste, municipal waste, hazardous waste, waste management
INTRODUCTION
Recently, biomedical waste management has become a major concern, not only for hospitals, nursing authorities, but also for the agencies, the media and the general public. Around 1-2percent of the total municipal solid waste stream is generated by biomedical waste. Any of the waste is a concern to human health and the environment. Not only countries but also countries differ in composition and quantity of biomedical wastes produced. Facilities for healthcare are involved. A varied waste stream is created in its composition by laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, medical, dental and veterinary hospitals. Hospitals have maximum waste among these services. Biomedical waste is the greatest risk from infectious and sharp components of waste, as medical staff and handlers sometimes get a needle stab injury and may get HIV or AIDS, hepatitis B and C. Risks are very large in hospitals or medical services. Given the concerns posed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, the Government of India notified the 'Environment (Protection) Act, 1986,' 'Biomedical Waste (Management and Management) Regulations, 1998.' However, biomedical waste management has been found to be complex and the complex management and actions of health care staff must be further established. Though town planners, environmental advocates and local government officials are worried about urban solid waste, there is still little concern about particular sources of waste and their management. Biomedical wastes are produced mainly from hospitals, health centres, hospitals, veterinary clinics and practitioners, drugs, blood banks, animal houses and research institutes. One of the waste products produced is biomedical waste. The other sources of biomedical waste are the following: Households, Industries, education institutes and research centres, Blood banks and clinical laboratories, Health care establishments The sector generates all the types of waste listed under the bio-medical waste are shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Source of biomedical wastes
the development or testing of organisms, microorganisms or metabolism products and biochemical reactions for the purposes of diagnosis, immunisation or processing. including categories mentioned in Table 1. Between 75 percent and 90 percent of the waste produced by health-care providers is non-risk or general health-care waste, comparable to domestic waste. The key functions of health care facilities are administrative and house kept and may include waste created while maintaining health facilities. The remaining 10-25% of biological waste is considered harmful and can cause different health risks..
Table 1 Categories of health-care waste
EFFECTS OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE
Bio-medical waste management causes serious environmental problems that cause air, water and soil contamination. Due to the contamination, the biological, chemical, and radioactive substances can be categorised. There are a range of environmental regulations and guidelines in India that can be discussed. Radioactive waste classification is protected by bio-medical waste. Some of the effects of pollution on air, radio activities, land, health and hazards are discussed.
Air Pollution
Air pollution can be caused in both indoors and outdoors atmosphere. Biomedical waste that generated by air pollution are been classified in three types namely-Biological, Chemical and radioactive.
In-door air pollution
Pathogens in the waste can also, in intermittent form or as pathogens, enter and stay in the air for a long time. Waste isolation, pretreatment in the spring, etc. can also dramatically reduce this problem. on by indoor air pollution due to the above chemicals of inadequate ventilation. The SBS can be minimised by an adequate construction and well-maintained air conditioning. Chemicals should be used in compliance with the legislation. It is important to prevent the use of chemicals.
Out-door air
Pollution Outdoor air pollution can be caused by pathogens. Pathogenic wastes without pretreatment can reach the atmosphere if they are transported outside the institution or if they are dumped in open areas. Two main sources of open burning and incinerators are chemical emissions causing outdoor air pollution. The most dangerous method is open burning of bio-medical waste. Air conditions may occur when inhaled. There is carcinogenicity in certain bio gases such as dioxins and furans. The design and maintenance parameters of such technology for treatment and disposal should adhere to the specified requirements.
Radioactive emissions
Research and radio-immunoassay activities may generate small quantities of radioactive gas. Gaseous radioactive material should be evacuated directly to the outside. The use of such device requires maintenance of the trap and monitoring of the off-gas.
Water Pollution
The liquid waste generated when let into sewers can also lead to water pollution if not treated properly. Water pollution can alter parameters such as pH, BOD, DO, COD, etc. There are instances where dioxins are reported from water bodies near incinerator plants. Dioxins enter the water body from the air.
Radioactive effluent
Liquid radioactive waste can come from chemical or biological testing, from body organ imaging, from radioactive spill decontamination, from the urine of the patient, and from scintillation fluids used in radioimmunoassay. In normal cases, as long as the patient's room is routinely inspected for radioactive pollution, urine and faces can be treated as no radioactive waste.
Land Pollution
Soil pollution due to infectious waste, disposable goods, chemicals used during treatment and ash, and other waste that is generated during into the food chain by plants. Even contaminants are nitrates and phosphates found in locations that are leachate. Excessive quantities of trace nutrients and other elements, including heavy metals, are harmful to plant life and often harmful to animals and humans. Table 2 presents the allowable limits for certain plant soil components. The only ways to eliminate this kind of pollution are to minimise waste and proper care before disposal.
Table 2. Comparison of treatment technologies for medical wastes
NEED FOR BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
Today's increasing global population means that public facilities, such as solid waste collection and disposal, must be handled. Biomedical waste has a special dimension within the field of municipal solid waste, since it is contagious and harmful. It can transmit disease or it can be harmful to people. The content of infectious waste in a hospital total may be only approximately 20%, but it may infect entire hospital waste if it is not isolated or transported in compliance with prescriptions. Hospitals and medical facilities produce waste which differs from general municipal waste. Only one of these collection, transport and final disposal systems may be needed for municipal waste in general. Against this, biomedical waste will require more systems as they contain body parts, animal or human tissues, radioactive waste, gas, cotton, plastics, plaster-of-paris casts, liquid waste contaminated, blood waste and laboratory waste. The environmental and public health risks are the medical waste created in various health facilities. Inadequate treatment and disposal of diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, enteric fiever, HIV infection or even AIDS may spread. Bio-medical waste management is one of the big areas that has not been adequately addressed by policy makers and health managements for the substantially varying population density, socio-economic features and climate. The strategy and goals of the government are also different. This method was not sufficient in the Indian sense for handling bio-medical waste. A system or systems must therefore be created that are appropriate for the disposal of hospital waste and must therefore be far different from the local waste disposal system. The current area of research is little aware of the significance and criticality of the proper management of bio-medical waste. This paper addresses the key strategic measures needed for the preparation of an effective bio-medical waste management strategy. Any effective biomedical waste management plan should give careful attention to waste generation, segregation, storage and collection, transportation and treatment and final disposal of bio-medical waste (BMW).
BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIA
Waste generation is based on a number of factors, such as type of healthcare facility, specialties of hospital, proportion of reusable products and disposal products, national and hospital waste management policies. Any amount of waste is produced in each procedure performed in the field of health care. In Indian hospitals, average waste generates 0.5 kg a day per patient, while in developed countries; it can range from 3 to 10 kg a day per patient. In West and America, about 15-20% of the overall waste, including infectious waste, is hazardous. However, in India the proper segregation of waste would be much higher (50-75%) and the collection would be mixed. There are no national studies of the amount of hospital waste generated per bed per day, but at local or regional level studies have been performed in different hospitals. Whatever the data from these studies may be available, it can be reasonable to conclude that approximately 1-2 kg / day of waste is generated in most hospitals. Tables 3 and 4 demonstrate some of the important research. The estimated amount of waste produced in the hospitals is 2-5kg / bed / day, according to one report.
Table 3 Average weight of the waste generated in the Hospital (Kg/bed/day)
Various studies show the standard generation of healthcare waste. Data from some of these surveys are presented in tables showing that health waste generation varies not only country by country, but also country. Waste generation depends on a number of factors such as existing methods of waste management, type of healthcare facility, hospital specialization, proportion of recycled products in healthcare and proportion of day care-treated patients. • 80 percent general health-care waste, which may be dealt with by the normal domestic and urban waste management system; • 15 percent pathological and infectious waste and 1 percent sharp waste; • 3 percent chemical or pharmaceutical waste; • Less than 1 percent special waste, such as radioactive or cytostatic waste, pressurized containers or broken thermometers and used batteries.
CURRENT BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT SCENARIO
The prevalent methods of solid waste management in the town are very weak. In general, waste storage at the source is not taken care of. The streets are constantly shed by families, commercial institutions, factories, hospitals and nursing houses etc. The Pollution Control Board of India has established a large number of hospitals, nursing homes, healthcare centres but does not take any action for safe disposal of biomedical waste. The biomedical wastes are combined and processed in the traditional disposal site with municipal solid waste. It can be seen in Fig. 1 and 2. Both waste forms are combined and disposed of together. The majority of hospitals in the city do not have sufficient biomedical waste disposal facilities. Either waste is dumped into the open behind the hospital and often burned, causing extreme air pollution and soil pollution. The incinerators are provided in some hospitals, but the same does not that are gathered by scavengers and returned illegally to the hospitals are discarded. Birds and livestock bear the body parts that are also discarded along with the waste. The hospital administrations and staff do not fully understand the severity of the problem created by the unscientific manner in which the treatment of these residues is disposed of.
Fig. 1 BMW seen mixed with general waste Fig. 2 Waste seen disposed of in the middle of the street Problems Faced by the Health Care Institutions:
The problems faced by health care institutions in the management of biomedical wastes are many. Even though the problems faced by health care institutions in the public and private institutions are almost the same, there is lot of differences as well. The problems faced by health care institutions are: • The healthcare facilities are designed and run from locations where no potential enlargement is feasible. In certain situations, waste management was not taken into account during the creation of accommodate waste treatment and disposal facilities. • In general, the private health institutions believe that there is no lack of funding. But biomedical waste disposal does not have sufficient priority. All are aware that some kind of incinerator should be built and all waste incinerated regardless of category or form. There is an idea that waste incineration is the best way to deal with waste. But funding is the critical issue in the case of government hospitals. The distribution of funds is not actually budgeted. Such health facilities are also subjected to problems with the procurement of biomedical waste containers and bags, waste storage facilities, treatment plants, disposal of waste treated, etc. • The methods of waste management introduced in the Rules of Procedure are entirely new to all and distinct from those implemented by the institutions before 1998. Healthcare facilities have handled waste by dumping in the backyard according to the available knowledge and in many cases sufficient attention has not been paid to waste management. The waste management is being ignored by all organisations. • In most healthcare facilities, particularly in most public health institutions, the waste management system is not currently established. The lowest workers level should handle waste in accordance with their will and pleasure. This must be dramatically improved and improved. The situation can be further strengthened by modern strategies such as the creation of commissions composed of workers from all categories. • At present there is no monitoring system to assess the waste management facilities available are carried out effectively as expected. Periodical meetings of waste management committees can improve the system. • Responsibilities of waste management and connected matters are not made mandatory to any officer of health care institutions. It is true that the head of institutions is responsible. However, the head of institutions has to find out suitable officer under him and give responsibility on these matters along with powers for carrying out the works. specifications.
CONCLUSION
Proper management of bio medical waste is a problem which both government agencies and non-governmental organisations acknowledge. Sufficient care should be taken of several hazards and hazardous products containing them. Inadequate and inadequate systems of segregation and transport can also create significant problems for society and the implementation of preventive measures, both of which lead in a written form to a growing vulnerability of biomedical hazards for workers, patients and the environment. Timely regulatory and legislative policies and procedures must be enforced to speed up the pace at which proper processing and management methods are developed. They must be well-defined and demanding in order to detach process and isolate the waste properly. Secure and efficient management not only represents a legal obligation but also a social duty for biomedical waste. Some challenges in proper management of hospital waste in individuals working in the sector are lack of enthusiasm, knowledge and cost factors. In various practices, adequate surveys are required on waste management procedures. Education on the risks related to unsuitable waste disposal is clearly required. It is crucial to maintain an effective communication policy in view of the limited level of knowledge of biomedical waste management among the various categories of healthcare personnel. An significant guidance for more study will be the global and quantitative and qualitative assessment of the flows of bio-medical waste. The study aims at improving the current Indian scenario with regard to solid waste management in general and bio-medical waste management in particular, based on an understanding. On the base of a study of current trends and best practices in the field, the research has established comprehensive policy recommendations for the efficient management of biomedical waste. The study model was planned to serve as a useful studies in the evaluation of the current situation of BMW in the city by the municipal or state pollution control board.
REFERENCES
1. Kishore, J. and Ingle, G.K. (2004). Biomedical Waste Management in India, Century Publications, New Delhi. 2. Kanetker, Y. (2003). Let Us C, BPB Publications New Delhi. 3. Pruss, A., Giroult, E. and Rushbrook, P. (1999). Safe Management of Wastes from
4. Ray, C.N., Ahmadi, B. and Singh, A.K. (2001). Neglect of Hospital Waste Control, Economic and Political weekly. 5. Agarwal, A.G. and Singh, R. (2005). Understanding and Simplifying Bio-Medical Waste Management, Toxics Link, New Delhi. 6. CEE, WHO, and MoEF India (2004). National Kit of Educational Material on Biomedical Waste Management, New Delhi. 7. Acharya DB, Meeta S, (2000). Hospital Waste Management. Minerva Press, New Delhi, pp. 15,47. 8. Almuneef M, Memish Z, (2003). Effective medical waste management: it can be done. American Journal of Infection Control, 31, pp. 188–192. 9. Anonymous (1998). Biomedical waste (management and handling) rules, The Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii), dated 27th July, pp. 10-20, 460. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Notification N. S.O.630 (E). 10. Anonymous, (1997). World Health Organization, Regional Office of South East Asia. Safe Management of Wastes from Health Care Activities. 11. Anonymous, (2000). Guide lines for common hazardous waste incineration Central Pollution Control Board Ministry of Environment & Forests Hazardous Waste Management Series HAZWAMS/30/2005-06. 12. Askarian M, Vakili M, Kabir G, (2004). Hospital waste management status in university hospitals of the Fars province, Iran. Int. J. Environ. Health Res. 14, pp. 295–305. 13. Askarian M. Vakili M, Kabir G (2004b). Results of a hospital waste survey in private hospitals in Fars province, Iran. Waste Manage. 24, pp. 347-352. 14. Baccini P, Brunner P. (1991). The Metabolism of the Anthroposphere, Springer Verlag, Berlin, 1991. 15. Baveja, G., Muralidhar, S. & Aggarwal, P. (2000). Hospital waste management– an overview. Hospital Today, 5, 9, pp. 485–486. Environmental Training, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 17. Burd M. (2005). Reducing the risks related to the handling and disposal of healthcare waste. Prof. Nurses 20, 40–42.
Corresponding Author Dr. Manoj Kumar Ray*
Assistant Professor, Department of Biotechnology, Simtech College, Patna