How Severe Are The Effects Of Medical Waste On Society?

The term “biomedical waste” sounds already hazardous, but in reality, the threat from improper disposal can be worse. This waste is a medical type relating to any biological process or system. This includes anything coming out from humans and animals during the medical procedure. 

Biomedical waste, like most types of waste, can be either solid or fluid. Examples of solid ones are sharp needles and removed appendages. Blood and excrements are some of the common fluid biomedical wastes. From those examples alone, you can already identify the most common environmental threat – contamination.

Improper disposal can lead to the spread of infections, and in the worst-case scenario, mutations. A drop of blood with the worst possible infection in the ocean is already enough to cause death to nearby aquatic life. The atmosphere around the improperly disposed of biomedical waste isn’t safe too since airborne invaders like pathogens and viruses can scatter unknowingly.

To prevent such catastrophe, the first step in proper disposal is correct identification. By defining accurately biomedical waste, it will be easier to segregate and prepare for the right disposal procedure. Most disposals of hazardous waste tend to end up in incineration. The heat helps in extinguishing any harmful microorganisms lurking in biomedical wastes.

Medical and health standards are created to help in carrying out the correct procedures in maintaining a waste-free environment. Strictly abiding by them may be very taxing, but it is not worth the risk to be complacent.