Medical Wastes in Terms of Environmental Health
Articles > Review · 2015
Authors: Hür HASSOY, Seyfi DURMAZ
Toplum ve Hekim, Other Refereed National Journals, National, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM), 2015, vol 30, pp 343-358
Summary
<p><span style="color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif;">Health-care waste is produced during the process of the preventive, diagnostic, curative, and rehabilitation services for human and animal. 75-90% of those wastes are general medical waste, while 10-25% of them are composed of infected pathological, penetrating, pharmaceutical, cytotoxic-genotoxic chemicals are radioactive waste. The purpose of this review is to mention the importance of the disposal of health care wastes for environmental health and evaluate the extant of the health care waste in terms of public and environmental health. Destruction at high temperature, sterilization and landfilling are the main ways of disposal of health care. Sterilization can be done with steam, by using chemicals or electromagnetic waves. Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), toxic gases, heavy metals, ash and particulate matter are the toxic substances resulting from the incineration of health care waste. POPs arises during the combustion of plastic and PVC. POPs cause poisoning and death in the short term, while cancer, nervous, reproductive and immune system problems come out in the long term. Releasing of ash to the environment causes soil, surface and groundwater pollution. Uncontrolled dumping of health care waste is a condition that allows variety of animals and vectors to access the wastes. The environment and people were aff ected by the contamination of toxic substances, hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and organic matters to soil and underground water and food chain. Only one-quarter of the health care wastes were stored regularly. Health care wastes are stored with even municipal solid waste are indiscriminately discarded. Disadvantaged groups of the population are more vulnerable to the improper disposal of the health care waste. In order to make the health care waste disposal process harmless to human and environment, the implementation of appropriate waste management strategy, inspection and public awareness must be ensured. This issue must be perceived as a field of struggle to protect the environment and public health.</span><br></p>