ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF HEALTH CARE TPJ4M

HEALTH CARE WASTE Waste generated by health care activities includes a broad range of materials: used needles and syringes soiled dressings body parts diagnostic samples blood chemicals pharmaceuticals medical devices radioactive materials

HEALTH CARE WASTE Poor management of health care waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, pt.s and the community to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment. It is essential that all medical waste materials are separated, appropriately treated and disposed of safely. Of the total amount of waste generated by health-care activities, about 80% is general waste. The remaining 20% is considered hazardous material that may be infectious, toxic or radioactive. Every year an estimated million injections are administered worldwide, but not all of the needles and syringes are properly disposed of afterwards.

TYPES OF WASTE Infectious waste: waste contaminated with blood and its by-products, waste from patients in isolation wards, discarded diagnostic samples containing blood and body fluids, infected animals from laboratories, and contaminated materials (swabs, bandages) and equipment (such as disposable medical devices); Pathological waste: recognizable body parts and contaminated animal carcasses; Sharps: syringes, needles, disposable scalpels and blades, etc Chemicals: for example mercury, solvents and disinfectants Pharmaceuticals: expired, unused, and contaminated drugs, vaccines Genotoxic waste: highly hazardous, mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic, such as cytotoxic drugs used in cancer treatment Radioactive waste: such as glassware contaminated with radioactive diagnostic material or radiotherapeutic materials; Heavy metals waste: such as broken mercury thermometers.

SOURCES OF WASTE The major sources of health-care waste are: hospitals and other health-care facilities laboratories and research centres mortuary and autopsy centres animal research and testing laboratories blood banks and collection services Long term care facilities

HOW BAD IS IT? PICTURE THIS Used condoms and syringes mixed with household waste and then exported from the United Kingdom to Brazil for recycling. Scalpels and other sharps left in heaps outside of hospitals. Liquid waste from health facilities discharged directly in rivers and other water streams. Hazardous materials incinerated at inadequate temperatures. Deaths in Brazil, Algeria, Morocco and Mexico caused by improper disposal of radiotherapy materials. Only a limited number of countries have developed, or is in the process of developing, a national regulatory framework to handle the mountain of medical waste now being produced by the world’s health facilities

HOW DOES CANADA COMPARE? For the most part, Canada doesn’t take a heavy regulatory approach toward hazardous medical waste And while not all provinces have regulations governing the handling and disposal of medical waste, environmental experts say most do a reasonable job of disposal. The majority of provinces rely on umbrella legislation governing all waste material to regulate the handling the medical waste such as the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act of 1985 and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999 Most provinces also appear to aim their approach at achieving minimum national standards for handling biomedical waste that were developed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment in 1992 Some provinces have specific guidelines for the management of biomedical waste but only Quebec appears to have biomedical waste-specific legislation (Environment Quality Act)

WHAT ARE THE HARMFUL EFFECTS? YOU TELL ME Your assignment is to research and write a min word research paper on the environmental and health effects of one of the following, in APA format : Infectious waste Pathological waste SharpsCHECKPOINT: Friday March 28/14 ChemicalsFINAL PAPER DUE: Friday April 4/14 Pharmaceuticals Genotoxic waste Radioactive waste: Heavy metals waste: