MEDICAL POLLUTION CONTROL COMMITTEE

Hazardous Health Care Waste      |     Generation of BMW      |     Hazardous of BMW

Public Health Risk of Hazards HCW    |    Sources of BMW

While urban solid waste has attracted the attention of town planners, environmental activists and civic administrators, there is yet lack of concern for some special sources of waste and its management. One such waste is bio-medical waste generated primarily from health care establishments, including hospitals, nursing homes, veterinary hospitals, clinics and general practitioners, dispensaries, blood banks, animal houses and research institutes. The other sources of biomedical waste are the following:

Households: The domestic sector generates biomedical waste to a small extent which is less than about 0.5% of the total waste generated in a household. The types of bio-medical waste generated in a household are syringes, cotton swabs, discarded medicines, bandages, plaster, sanitary napkins, diapers etc.

Households are not covered under the law for generating bio-medical waste, nevertheless, the safe management of these wastes is of paramount importance, as it is not the quantity but the quality of bio-medical waste that matters. The households

therefore should segregate this waste at the source, store it separately and package these wastes and preferably dispose it separately to be taken for landfilling.
Industries, education institutes and research centres: Animal houses and laboratories of industries, education institutes and research centres also generate bio-medical waste in substantial quantities. This sector is covered under the purview of bio-medical waste (management and handling) Rules, 2000. The type of waste generated from an animal house is typically animal tissues, organs, body parts, carcasses, body fluids, blood etc., of experimental animals. This sector also generates microbiological and biotechnological wastes which are highly hazardous. The treatment and disposal of these wastes is discussed in the subsequent sections.

Blood banks and clinical laboratories: The biomedical waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000 applies to this sector. Blood banks and laboratories generate most of the categories of waste listed in the above notification. Their treatment and disposal is discussed subsequently.

Health care establishments (for humans and animals): The sources of bio-medical waste generated in health care settings are the following:

This sector generates all the types of waste listed under the bio-medical waste notification. The management of these wastes is discussed in the preceding web pages.