Types of Medical Waste

Created by Linda Quiroz

 The Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988 defines medical waste as \"any solid waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals.\" Medical waste can be classified into four different categories: infectious, hazardous, radioactive, and general.

 Waste that has the possibility of causing infections to humans. It can include human or animal tissue (blood or other body parts), blood-soaked bandages, discarded surgical gloves, cultures, stocks, or swabs to inoculate cultures. Many waste stream in this category, including human or animal tissue, can also be labeled as pathological waste, which requires specific treatment methods. Pathological waste is either known or suspected to contain pathogens.

 Waste that has the possibility to affect humans in non-infectious ways, but which meets federal guidelines for hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Hazardous waste includes chemicals, both medical and industrial. Some hazardous waste can also be considered infectious waste, depending on its origin and exposure to human or animal tissue prior to discard. Old drugs, including chemotherapy agents, are sometimes hazardous.

 Radioactive waste can be generated from nuclear medicine treatments, cancer therapies and medical equipment that uses radioactive isotopes. Pathological waste that is contaminated with radioactive material is usually treated as radioactive waste rather than infectious waste. Mos hospitals generate radioactive waste and even some doctors' offices and veterinary offices if they offer brachytherapy.

 About 85% of waste generated at medical facilities is no different from general household or office waste, and includes paper, plastics, liquids and any other materials that do not fit into the previous three categories. Waste professionals refer to this as municipal solid waste, and it is usually disposed of in landfills.

 Pathological waste is included in the above categories, but is designated separately because of the potential psychological impact on observers. It consists of recognizable tissues, organs, and body parts derived from animals and humans. If you can tell the waste came from a living organism, it is pathological waste:. Material removed from the body in surgery and fluids and solids removed in autopsies is pathological waste, with the exception of teeth.

 In the US the term regulated waste is used in healthcare contexts mostly to refer to worker safety standards and procedures. OSHA promulgated rules for dealing for dealing with bodily fluids called the Bloodborne Pathogens standard. It refers to regulated waste as blood or \"other potentially infectious materials\" (OPIM) and items contaminated with these materials as well as pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM.

 Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires that healthcare facilities dealing with regulated waste have an Exposure Control Plan to protect workers and minimize the chances of transmission of hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and HIV. The plan is supposed to specify which employees have routine contact with blood and blood products and what to do after an exposure.

 Red bag medical waste includes all waste that is biohazardous (also known as potentially infectious). This includes discarded vaccines, items with dried blood or other fluids, discarded surgical tools, or cytotoxic materials.

 Yellow and black medical waste bins are both for chemotherapy waste of different types. Which bin should be used depends on whether the waste is considered empty under Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) standards. Black bins, on the other hand, are designated for chemotherapy medical waste that is not “RCRA empty.” This includes partially used vials, IV bags and tubing, or discarded personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning materials.

 Properly separation and disposal of medical waste in the correct container is only the first step. Once a bin is full, it must be properly destroyed or treated. The method used depends on the kind of medical waste, however, common types of treatment include incineration, irradiation, autoclaving, or chemical disinfection.