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GeneralProperly Disposing Of Medical Waste

What Is Medical Waste 

Medical waste is also known as regulated medical waste. Contaminated blood, body fluids, or any other potentially infectious materials are all in the category of medical waste. The clients that a medical waste company serves are doctor’s offices, dental offices, hospitals, clinics, blood banks, medical research facilities, and many more. Examples of medical waste that a medical waste company will be contracted to dispose of are filled sharps containers, wound packing equipment that is soiled, used band-aids that are soiled, used bandages that are soiled, and much more. 

When it comes to all sharps they are always considered to be contaminated whether they are used or not. The reason why is because sometimes it is difficult to tell if a needle or any type of sharp has been used and to the naked eye it may look uncontaminated. However under a microscope you will be able to see the blood droplets and know that the sharps have been contaminated. Another reason why sharps are automatically disposed of as medical waste is because of the potential to injure an individual from an accidental stick.  

Who Is Responsible For Regulating Medical Waste

Back in the 1980s there was actually an Act passed called the Medical Waste Tracking Act that was used to track and monitor the proper disposal of medical waste. The Medical Waste Tracking Act expired back in 1991 and has since not been renewed. Since the expiration of the Medical Waste Tracking Act the EPA has not had any authority in the area of medical waste disposal. Currently all medical waste disposal is regulated and monitored by each state’s environmental and health departments. If any type of facility healthcare or otherwise is responsible for the disposal of medical waste and they are unsure of how to get this done they should contact the local government’s environment protection agency to get the information needed. There are however federal agencies who have put statutes in the place to ensure medical waste is disposed of properly. These agencies are the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 

The EPA’s History When It Comes To Medical Waste Disposal 

The EPA got involved in the regulating and monitoring of medical waste back in the 1980s. This had a positive effect in multiple different ways. The first way was to ensure that contaminated medical waste was not having a negative effect on the environment and not infecting the general public. The passing of the Medical Waste Tracking Act by the EPA also caused more medical waste companies to open up for business. The incident that prompted the EPA to implement the Medical Waste Tracking Act was when the government noticed that medical waste started washing up on beaches around the United States. Congress immediately implemented the Medical Waste Tracking Act and put the EPA in charge of the program. The program was only for two years and the job of the EPA was to set the foundation for the proper disposal of medical waste.

The EPA implemented the Medical Waste Tracking Act back in March of 1989. When the Medical Waste Tracking Act was first introduced by Congress and the EPA the first five states that it was implemented in were Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico, and New York. The Medical Waste Tracking Act officially expired in June of 1991. When the program was officially discontinued each state started to develop its own medical waste disposal guidelines and programs. Once the medical waste tracking act had expired the EPA found that medical waste had a very low rate of causing disease or infection to the General Public. The EPA went on to say that healthcare workers are more at risk of being infected by medical waste while working than the general public. 

The Proper Disposal Of Medical Sharps 

If sharps are discarded improperly this puts many different individuals at risk for accidental needle sticks and possible infection. Improperly discarded sharps put individuals such as waste workers and janitors, particularly at risk. The reason why is because if a janitor or waste worker is taking out a trash bag that has improperly discarded needles or sharps in the bag this could potentially lead to an accidental needle-stick. If an accidental needlestick occurs this puts these individuals at risk for contracting diseases such as human immunodeficiency disorder or hepatitis. 

When it comes to the disposal of sharps and needles the FDA recommends a two-step process. It is recommended that in the first step of this two-step process that all used sharps be immediately disposed of in a sharps container. When sharps are disposed of in this manner it drastically reduces the rest of needle sticks. Sharps disposal containers should always be kept out of the reach of pets and children. One thing to remember when it comes to sharp containers is that if you overfill these containers this actually would increase the risk of an accidental needle stick. It is recommended that sharps containers be disposed of when they are 3/4 of the way full. 

The second step in the sharps disposal process is just for every institution that has sharps to dispose of to follow the local community disposal guidelines. There are four ways that Community guidelines usually recommend for the proper disposal of medical Sharps Containers. Institutions can utilize supervised collection sites or drop boxes to properly dispose of the sharps containers. There are FDA-approved mail-back programs that can be utilized to dispose of sharps containers properly. When it comes to individuals who have to use some type of needle inside of their home they are also special household hazardous waste collection sites available for the disposal of sharps containers. Lastly individuals who used sharps inside of their home can use a special waste pickup service to dispose of their sharps containers. 

There are currently a few different alternative ways that are used for medical waste disposal and they are thermal treatment and steam sterilization. Microwave technologies are a form of thermal treatments and autoclaving is a form of steam sterilization. When it comes to medical waste or any type of biohazard waste it is very important to dispose of this type of material in the proper way. To learn more, please visit the bio management northwest website. If these types of materials are disposed of properly it will prevent infections, accidental needle sticks, and any other type of injury from occurring to individuals who work with or around the medical or biohazardous waste.

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Digital Health Buzz!

Digital Health Buzz!

Digital Health Buzz! aims to be the destination of choice when it comes to what’s happening in the digital health world. We are not about news and views, but informative articles and thoughts to apply in your business.

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