Biomedical Waste

Biomedical waste consists of solids, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste that are
potentially infectious or dangerous and are considered biowaste. It must be properly
managed to protect the general public, specifically healthcare and sanitation workers
who are regularly exposed to biomedical waste as an occupational hazard.

Biomedical waste differs from other types of hazardous waste, such as industrial waste,
in that it comes from biological sources or is used in the diagnosis, prevention, or
treatment of diseases. Common producers of biomedical waste include hospitals, health
clinics, nursing homes, medical research laboratories, offices of physicians, dentists,
and veterinarians, home health care, and funeral homes.

Components

The following is a list of materials that are generally considered biomedical waste:

Solids

 Catheters and tubes
 Disposable gowns, masks, and scrubs
 Disposable tools, such as some scalpels and surgical staplers
 Medical gloves
 Surgical sutures and staples
 Wound dressings

Liquids

 Blood
 Body fluids and tissues
 Cell, organ, and tissue cultures

Sharps

 Blades, such as razor or scalpel blades

 Lancets
 Materials made of glass, such as cuvettes and slides
 Metal stylets
 Needles
 Plastic pipettes and tips
 Syringes

Laboratory waste

 Animal carcasses
 Hazardous chemicals with biological components
 Media
 Medicinal plants
 Radioactive material with biological components
 Supernatants
 Syringes

Exceptions
Cadavers, urine, faeces, and cytotoxic drugs are not considered biomedical waste. [1]
Biomedical Waste Management

Sorting of medical wastes in hospital.At the site where it is generated, biomedical waste
is placed in specially-labelled bags and containers for removal by biomedical waste
transporters. Other forms of waste should not be mixed with biomedical waste as
different rules apply to the treatment of different types of waste.

Household biomedical waste usually consists of needles and syringes from drugs
administered at home (such as insulin), soiled wound dressings, disposable gloves, and
bedsheets or other cloths that have come into contact with bodily fluids. Disposing of
these materials with regular household garbage puts waste collectors at risk for injury
and infection especially from sharps as they can easily puncture a standard household
garbage bag. Many communities have programs in place for the disposal of household
biomedical waste. Some waste treatment facilities also have mail-in disposal programs.
Biomedical waste treatment facilities are licensed by the local governing body which
maintains laws regarding the operation of these facilities. The laws ensure that the
general public is protected from contamination of air, soil,groundwater, or municipal
water supply. One company, BioMedical Technology Solutions, Inc., offers a green
alternative to haul-away services for disposal of biomedical waste. The Company's
desktop unit, the Demolizer® II, is the only patented, portable, and self-contained
system able to process both sharps and typical red bag biomedical waste onsite. Upon
processing the biomedical waste in the unit, all regulatory paperwork is printed from the
system and the waste is able to be disposed of as common trash.
Protection from Biomedical Waste

Wash your hands with soap and warm water after handling biomedical waste. Also,
wash all areas of your body with soap and water that you think may have come into
contact with biomedical waste, even if you are not sure your body actually touched the
biomedical waste.

 Keep all sores and cuts covered.

 Immediately replace wet bandages with clean, dry bandages.
 Wear disposable latex gloves when handling biomedical waste. Discard the
gloves immediately after use.
 Wear an apron or another type of cover to protect your clothes from contact with
the waste. If your clothes become soiled, put on fresh clothes, and take a shower, if
possible.
 Launder or throw away clothes soiled with biomedical waste.
 Promptly clean and disinfect soiled, hard-surfaced floors by using a germicidal or
bleach solution and mopping up with paper towels.
 Clean soiled carpets. First blot up as much of the spill as possible with paper
towels and put the soiled paper towels in a plastic lined, leak-proof container. Then
try one of the following:
 Steam clean the carpet with an extraction method.
 Scrub the carpet with germicidal rug shampoo and a brush. Soak the brush used
for scrubbing in a disinfectant solution and rinse the brush. Let the carpet dry, and
then vacuum it.
 Never handle syringes, needles, or lancets with your hands. Use a towel, shovel,
and/or broom and a dustpan to pick up these sharp objects. Dispose of them in a
plastic soda pop bottle with a cap. Tape down the bottle cap. Then throw the bottle
in the trash.