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The Most Common Medical Waste Being Disposed Of

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In general, healthcare staff members need to identify medical waste to dispose of it properly accurately. After all, plenty of objects can be considered medical waste, but some are more common than others.

With that said, the following are the most common waste that medical workers are exposed to:

    Blood
Aside from its liquid form, this also includes saturated solid waste and blood products. Overall, people in the medical field are exposed to blood regularly. In this case, serum, plasma, and other components are considered blood products.

•    Sharps
Any sharp object used to administer drugs, draw blood, or inoculate falls under this category. In this case, sharps include blades, scalpels, needles, lancets, pipettes, and other similar objects. These objects can puncture someone and cause an infection.

•    Pathological Waste
This refers to a different kind of infectious waste. To be specific, this consists of human and animal tissues or body parts removed during an autopsy, a surgical procedure, or by accident.

•    Regulated Body Fluids
Amniotic fluid, pleural fluid, and pericardial fluid are examples of regulated body fluids. These also include anything kept in a container and substances that might drip from solid material.

•    Laboratory Waste
Among other things, laboratories produce waste in the form of agents, stocks, and cultures. In addition, you should note that any waste that originates from biological agent production can be hazardous to people. This category also includes attenuated or live vaccines that might infect humans.

Conclusion

Overall, it is the responsibility of healthcare facilities to segregate and dispose of medical waste properly. After all, by doing so, they help protect both the employees and the general public.