Illegal Medical Waste Trade Poses for Health Concerns
The care and proper handling of medical waste isn’t just a legal issue, rather one that can impact the health and wealth of communities around the globe. Medical waste is comprised of many different materials, ranging from needles and syringes to disposable rags, and the processing of this waste must meet stringent regulatory standards for the safe handling of infectious and red bag waste, including precise size reduction to ensure proper sterilization.
In developing countries like Bangladesh, there is an increase in the unlawful trade and recycling of medical waste due to population growth and the need for alternative sources and processing; recycling and recovery of medical waste been detected by government and traders as potential options. Of course, this has led to unregulated recycling, and with the high market value of low cost recycling of syringes, plastics, needle, metals, paper, gauge, and rubber coupled with lack of material segregation, medical waste is being mixed with solid waste, posing serious health risks to the communities.
Despite the unlawful trade and recycling of medical waste, the practice continues for its profitability.
The greatest risk to public health and environment is posed by infectious waste, including body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters and gloves, cultures and stocks of infectious agents, wound dressings, discarded diagnostic samples, swabs, bandages, and disposal medical devices.
Improper and illegal waste management is a public health issue; it can lead to contaminated air, water, and soil, which has a direct impact to the environment and all forms of life.
Developed countries rely on incineration or steam sterilization, with the latter being the most common alternative treatment method to incineration. Because steam sterilization, or autoclaving is done in a closed chamber, it does not pose the risks that come with incineration, like air pollution in the form of acid gases, carbon monoxide, and organic compounds.
MedXWaste’s services of regulated medical waste management are simple and cost-effective; we safely and securely remove your regulated medical waste and are in the business to not only educate our staff, but our customers as well. MedXWaste can help your facility get compliant with our OSHA Compliance Program, which includes safety plan building, training for employees on all medical waste removal topics, including HIPAA, bloodborne pathogens and more. What’s more, this can all be done online and is compatible with desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
The growing amount of medical wastes is posing significant public health and environmental challenges across the world, but MedXWaste is here to service all health care facilities to help reduce the impact medical waste has on the environment and communities.