Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:55:46.375Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Medical Waste: A Minimal Hazard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

John H. Keene
John H. Keene*
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, Biomedical Engineering Program, School of Basic Health Sciences, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, and Biohaztec Associates, Inc, Midlothian, Virginia
*
Biohaztec Associates, Inc., 924 Castle Hollow Rd., NE, Midlothian, VA 23113
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Healthcare providers need to be aware of the facts regarding the environmental impact of regulated medical wastes and be prepared to voice concern over unnecessary and costly regulations. The wash-ups of waste, a small percentage of which was medical waste, on the beaches on New York and New Jersey in the summers of 1987 and 1988 prompted an immediate response by state and federal governments. Although it was demonstrated that this medical waste did not originate in healthcare facilities,' the public demanded that their elected representatives do something about what they perceived to be the degradation of the environment and a risk to public health caused by “uncontrolled dumping” of “medical wastes” into the ocean. As a result of these and other occurrences, several environmental concerns regarding the treatment and disposal of medical waste were voiced by the public and acknowledged by the legislators. These included the following: aesthetic damage to the environment; potential public health problems associated with infectious agents in medical waste; and potential environmental contamination with hazardous chemicals and radioactivity associated with medical wastes.

Type
Special Commentary
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 12 , Issue 11 , November 1991 , pp. 682 - 685
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Report of National Marine Debris Data Base. Washington DC: Center for Marine Conservation: 1989.Google Scholar
2. The Public Health Implications of Medical Waste: A Report to Congress. Washington DC: US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; 1990.Google Scholar
3. Turnberg, WL. Human Infection Risks Associated with Infectious Disease Agents in the Waste Stream: A Literature Review. Olympia, Wa: Washington State Department of Ecology; 1989.Google Scholar
4. Rutala, W, Weber, DJ. Infectious waste-mismatch between science and policy. N Eng J Med. 1991;325:578–581.10.1056/NEJM199108223250811CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5. US Environmental Protection Agency. 40 CFR Parts 22 and 2.59, Standards for the Tracking and Management of Medical Waste; Interim Final Rule and Request for Comments. Federal Register Vol 54:No. 56. Friday, March 24, 1989.Google Scholar
6. Medical Waste Management, Focus on State Health Legislation. American Society of Internal Medicine; 1988.Google Scholar
7. Keene, J. Medical waste management: public pressure vs sound science. Hazardous Materials Control. 1989;Sept/Oct:29–36.Google Scholar
8. Althaus, H, Sauerwald, M, Schrammeck, E. Hygienic aspects of waste disposal. Zbl Bakt Hyg I Abt Orig B. 1983;178:1–29.Google Scholar
9. Jager, E, Xander, L, Ruden, H. Hospital wastes: microbiological investigations of hospital wastes from various wards of a big and of smaller hospital in comparison to household refuse. Zbl Hyg Umweltmed. 1989;188:343–364 Google Scholar
10. Kalnowski, G, Wiegand, H, Ruden, H. The microbial contamination of hospital waste. Zbl Bakt Hyg Z Abt Orig B. 1983;178:364–379.Google ScholarPubMed
11. Mose, JR, Reinthaler, E Microbial contamination of hospital waste and household refuse. Zbl Bakt Hyg I Abt Orig B. 1985;181:98–110.Google Scholar
12. Trost, M, Filip, Z. Microbiological investigations on refuse from medical consulting rooms and municipal refuse. Zbl Bakt Hyg Z Abt Orig B. 1985;181:159–172.Google Scholar
13. Gordon, J, Zank, N, Brooks, K, et al. Disposal of Hospital Wastes Containing Pathogenic Organisms. McClean, Va: US Army Medical Research and Development Command; 1979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Ware, S. A Survey of Pathogen Survival During Municipal Solid Waste and Manure Treatment Processes. Cincinnati, Oh: US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development; 1980.Google Scholar
15. Blannon, JC, Peterson, ML. Survival of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci in a sanitary landfill. News of Environmental Research in Cincinnati. April 12, 1974.Google Scholar
16. Englebrect, RS, Amirho, P. Disposal of municipal solid waste by sanitary Landfill. Proc Symp Virus Aspects of Applying Municipal Waste to Land. Gainsville, Fla: University of Florida; 1976.Google Scholar
17. Englebrect, RS, Weber, MJ, Amirhor, P, Foster, DH, LaRossa, D. Biological properties of sanitary landfill leachate. In: Malina, J, Sagik, B, eds. Virus Survival in Water and Wastewater Systems, Water Resources, Symp No. 7. Austin, Tex: The University of Texas at Austin; 1974;201–217.Google Scholar
18. Pahren, HR. Microorganisms in municipal solid waste and public health implications. CRC Critical Reviews in Environmental Control. 1987;17:187–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19. Peterson, ML. The Occuwence and Survival of Viruses in Municipal Solid Waste. Ann Arbor, Mich: The University of Michigan; 1971.Google Scholar
20. Sobsey, M. Field survey of enteric viruses in solid waste landfill leachates. Am J Public Health. 1978;68:858–664.10.2105/AJPH.68.9.858CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21. Swartzbaugh, JT, Hentrick, RL, Sable, G. Evaluation of Landfilled Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste. Cincinnati, Oh: US Environmental Protection Agency; 1977.Google Scholar
22. Karpiak, J, Pugliese, G. Medical waste-declining options in the 90s. Am J Inf Control. 1991;19:8–15.10.1016/0196-6553(91)90155-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed