Kinds of Hospital Waste to Take Note of
7/15/2020
Medical waste refers to any kind of waste that can be termed to be infectious. These materials result from healthcare practices such as dental practices, medical research, veterinary clinic activities in the laboratories and physician offices, and also activities hospitals.
This medical waste contains bodily fluids such as blood and other contaminants. The wastes include bandages, glassware, tissue, scalpels, swabs, needles, and culture dishes.
Types of Medical Wastes. The following are the most common medical wastes:
• Incineration
• Autoclaving
• Microwaving
• Use of chemicals
• Use of biological means It is best to be aware of these medical wastes so that you know ho to deal with them in the future.
This medical waste contains bodily fluids such as blood and other contaminants. The wastes include bandages, glassware, tissue, scalpels, swabs, needles, and culture dishes.
Types of Medical Wastes. The following are the most common medical wastes:
• Infectious waste. Includes items that can be infectious such as swabs, equipment, excreta, tissues, and cultures.
• Sharps. Refers to waste resulting from medical facilities that can pierce the skin. They include needles, razors, staples, wires, broken glass, lancets, and trocars.
• Pharmaceuticals. Refers to unused, contaminated, or expired drugs and vaccines, the conglomerate injectables, pills, and antibiotics.
• Radioactive. This waste simply refers to unutilized radiotherapy liquid or research liquid. It is made up of glassware or supplies contaminated with this liquid.
• Pathological. Includes blood, human fluid, tissue, body parts, and animal carcasses.
• Chemical. These are disinfectants and solvents used for medical laboratory purposes. They also include heavy metals resulting from medical equipment such as mercury from defective or vandalized thermometers.
• Genotoxic waste. This waste is highly hazardous. They can be carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. They are mostly wastes resulting from cytotoxic drugs that are used in cancer treatment.
• General non-regulated medical waste. These are non-hazardous medical waste, and therefore, they pose no danger to human life. Medical wastes, when not well regulated, can cause health hazards to hospital employees, waste workers, and the general public. The wastes can be treated through:
• Autoclaving
• Microwaving
• Use of chemicals
• Use of biological means It is best to be aware of these medical wastes so that you know ho to deal with them in the future.