Hospitals, laboratories, and other medical facilities generate a huge amount of waste. This waste accumulates due to the regular diagnostic procedures and treatment of patients, the prevention of diseases, and the elimination of potential risks to human health. This waste carries risks of chemical, toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and radiation effects on the human body, injuries, and infections.
Improper treatment of medical waste can have serious consequences for public health, both through direct impact and negative impact on the environment that’s why there are special services like medical waste disposal services Chattanooga TN which take care of this special waste.
In many countries, medical waste disposal is regulated by the State Sanitary and Anti-Epidemic Rules and Norms in many countries.
Health care facilities can’t neglect the instruction on collection, disinfection, storage and delivery of used disposable medical devices from plastics, approved by old regulations because it can create dangerous conditions for both medical workers and for the environment.
What are the methods of medical waste disposal most services like medical waste disposal services Chattanooga TN use?
In order to dispose of waste, health care facilities have to enter into agreements with business entities that have received a license to handle hazardous medical waste. Waste that is transferred for disposal to licensees is subject to chemical disinfection and transportation.
The most common ways to dispose of medical waste used by medical waste disposal services Chattanooga TN and others:
• incineration;
• steam treatment at high temperatures under pressure (autoclaving);
• treatment with disinfectant solutions (chemical method).
Since hospitals are usually located in densely populated areas, it is usually not possible to place incinerators on their territory that’s why medical waste disposal services Chattanooga TN transport the medical waste to the special locations where it is disposed of.
The safest and most cost-effective method is the treatment of medical waste disposal is treatment with steam under pressure (autoclaving).
How to optimally dispose of category B medical waste.
It is forbidden to destroy or cut medical waste for disinfection, including used systems for intravenous infusion, and remove the needle from the syringe after its use. Therefore, the container for hazardous waste in which the syringes with the needles will be placed should be used.
It is forbidden to collect and store waste for longer than one day. The exception is hazardous waste, which can be stored for three days. The medical institution must draw up a schedule for the removal of waste and its transportation to the waste management facility. This is where disinfection should be done.
Medical waste disposal services staff should be equipped with personal protective equipment. The minimum set must include protective gloves and gowns to protect from chemical and infectious agents.
Please note that the incineration of waste in furnaces that are not intended for this purpose (for example, those used for water heating) and in open hearths is strictly prohibited. Only licensed services have to take care of the medical waste.