How is Medical Waste Regulated?
9/1/2022
Medical waste is waste generated by both human and animal healthcare facilities and research institutions and can even be generated at home. This type of waste can have serious consequences on both human health and the environment when they are not handled properly.
Categories of Medical Waste
In order to properly figure out how to properly treat and dispose of medical waste, they are divided into different categories.
• Biological Waste
This type of medical waste includes any item that has been contaminated with human bodily fluids or with animal bodily fluids that are suspected to contain the zoonotic disease.
• Infectious Waste
This includes biological waste products and other discarded materials that are infectious but aren’t highly contagious. This waste can often be mixed with non-regulated medical waste.
• Isolation Waste
Isolation waste composes of biological waste products or discarded materials that are infected with dangerous and highly contagious diseases such as Ebola. It’s important to strictly follow health regulations when disposing of this waste.
• Sharps Waste
Sharps waste is waste that can cut or pierce the skin. Needles, lancets, broken glass and the like fall under this category.
This type of waste includes any human or animal body part, organ and tissue that is suspected to be infected with a zoonotic disease.
Who Regulates Medical Waste?
Different governmental agencies are responsible for regulating medical waste.
The FDA oversees the manufacturing of sharps containers. OSHA is in charge of regulating medical waste produced by employees. USPS monitors the shipment of regulated medical waste through the mail. DOT is responsible for overseeing the shipment of regulated medical waste over the road. And lastly, each local state handles the disposal of regulated medical waste.