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Are There Regulated Medical Waste?

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Radioactive waste is one of the ordinary wastes that many hospitals generate. There are several processes and technologies in hospitals that generate this radioactive waste.

Radioactive waste is classified as hazardous due to the harmful radioactive particles it emits. Therefore, it requires proper management and disposal for the sake of the people and the environment.

Management and disposal of these wastes in hospitals are mainly dependent on the frequency and amount generated. So, how often do hospitals create and throw away radioactive waste?

How Often Hospitals Dispose of Radioactive Waste?


Radioactive medical waste is mainly generated by processes in hospitals’ Nuclear Medicine Department and the Radiation Therapy Department. These include the following:

•    Nuclear medicine technologies
•    Radiation procedures
•    Oncology treatments
•    PET scans
•    CT scans

All these processes leave a trace of radioactive waste after they are conducted. The traces of the radioactive waste can be found on contaminated medical equipment, patient clothing, PPE worn by technicians and medical staff, or even on biological materials such as fluids and body parts.
However, these traces of radioactive waste have a short half-life. This means they decay quickly, and therefore, they are less dangerous to both the people and the environment.

Conclusion
Hospitals generate traces of radioactive waste every time they perform processes that use radiation. Fortunately, hospitals have strict guidelines on how to dispose of this waste. The waste is segregated and secured before being removed by authorized personnel only.