Health Risks of Improperly Handled Waste

Healthcare waste is a source of microorganisms that may infect patients, healthcare workers, hospital visitors, cleaning staff, and the wider public. It may also lead to the growth of drug-resistant pathogens that can spread from the healthcare facilities into water sources and the environment.

Other risks include:

• Sharps injuries- 16 billion injections are given each year. Incorrectly disposed needles and syringes pose a risk of injury, infection and unsafe reuse. It is estimated that someone who has a needlestick injury from the needle of someone with HIV has a 0.3% chance of contracting the disease.
• Exposure to toxic pharmaceuticals like antibiotics and cytotoxic drugs or to mercury or dioxins.
• Chemical burns from disinfection, sterilization or waste treatment processes
• Air pollution caused by the release of particulate matter during incineration processes
• Burns from open burning or medical incinerators
• Radiation burns
• Environmental impacts- these are almost incalculable, and range from the release of toxic pollutants into the atmosphere

In 2015, the WHO and UNICEF launched a joint investigation that found that around half of the healthcare facilities that were sampled in twenty-four countries had adequate systems for the safe treatment and disposal of their waste. This figure needs to improve dramatically in the decade to come.