Handling, disposing, and recycling medical waste are challenging management issues for healthcare businesses and other businesses that create medical waste. Companies must adhere to regulatory standards, continually remember the health risks, consider the environmental threat posed by their policies, and attempt to overcome medical waste disposal's obvious and less obvious challenges.
Fremont, CA: Any material which contains bodily fluids has the potential to be infectious. It is medical waste. However, any waste generated in creating medical waste is also medical waste. As much as 85 percent of medical waste is non-hazardous. The packaging for a syringe, bandages wrapping a wound, masks, gloves, gowns, cotton swabs, and even the paper you sit on in the exam chair are all medical waste.
Stocks and cultures from labs, animal waste from lab animals, the carcasses of those animals, and the hosts of chemicals, sterilants, and reagents used in labs are medical waste. The list goes on, and it piles up into a large heap.
Walking The Regulatory Maze
Federal, State, and local regulations abound regarding medical waste management. Large corporations usually aren’t intimidated. They have teams of lawyers with briefcases full of definitions and explanations of the laws. When someone slips and makes an error, the resulting fine is merely an issue for an accountant.
The Health Risks of Medical Waste
The danger of direct exposure is an obvious risk. Yet, medical waste is commonly scavenged in some parts of the world.
