Throughout the past decade, there have been outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), H1N1 influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MARS), Ebola, mpox and, of course, COVID-19. These events significantly impacted the global healthcare industry and billions of people around the world with more than 13 billion vaccines administered globally and, at its peak, approximately 1.9 million new hospitalizations reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). These experiences have raised concerns around disease transmission and what special handling is required for the disposal of biohazardous waste.
In light of these impacts and concerns, as well as the daily risks that exist when providing health care (spread of bloodborne pathogens and the risk of needlestick injuries), compliant biohazardous waste disposal is essential in healthcare infection prevention and keeping workers safe. It’s crucial that healthcare professionals familiarize themselves with proper biohazardous medical waste management and disposal.
What is Biohazardous Medical Waste?
Biohazardous medical waste generally includes waste known or reasonably expected to contain a pathogen. State agencies might use various terms for biohazardous, such as regulated medical waste, biomedical, infectious, or something similar, in their regulations. There are federal as well as varying state-specific requirements pertaining to its collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal. Simply put, biohazardous waste is any waste saturated with liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) that has the potential to cause harm or infect humans. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Red bag waste – non-sharp items saturated or caked with blood or OPIM such as bandages, gauze, plastic tubing, and personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, goggles)
- Sharps waste – examples may include needles, scalpels, syringes, lancets, and any other object exposed to blood or OPIM and capable of puncturing human skin
- Pathological (or anatomical) waste – limbs, organs, tissue samples (decanted of chemical preservatives)
- Trace chemotherapy waste – masks, gloves, gowns, empty vials, empty intravenous bags, tubing, and/or bottles used in the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs
- Laboratory waste – cultures and stocks that contain human disease-causing agents
Who Generates Biohazardous Waste?
Every year, the healthcare industry generates approximately 5 million tons of medical waste, with a large majority coming from hospitals, doctors’ offices, dentists, research facilities, veterinarians, and surgery centers. But healthcare facilities are not the only contributors – tattoo parlors and funeral homes also generate biohazardous medical waste.
How Is Biohazardous Medical Waste Regulated?
Local, state, and federal authorities have regulations to help reduce the risk of injury and infection during handling, at the point of collection, and during transport for ultimate treatment and disposal. Local and state regulations play a significant role in the complex framework governing biohazardous medical waste management. It is critical to pay close attention to these rules, which may be facility-specific and layered on top of applicable federal regulations. Those federal regulations predominantly come from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Department of Transportation (DOT).
At the state level, there are various regulatory authorities that provide more specific definitions of materials that fall into the category of biohazardous wastes. For example, many states have additional definitions that include chemotherapeutic waste, pathological waste, pharmaceutical waste, as well as information on how to safely dispose of cultures and stocks.
At the federal level, OSHA has a number of regulations related to the safe handling of biohazardous waste to limit the risk of spreading bloodborne pathogens (BBP) in the workplace. After collection, biohazardous waste needs to be properly packaged to meet DOT regulations for transport. Both OSHA and the DOT have training requirements to ensure staff safety, along with state-specific training elements that may add more requirements for certain locations.
How Is Biohazardous Waste Treated?
There are a variety of treatment methods for the disposal of biohazardous waste. The two most common are:
- Autoclaving – The most common form of treatment. Waste is subjected to a timed, high-temperature and high-pressure steaming process to kill infectious agents, after which the waste is ready for disposal at a landfill or waste-to-energy facility.
- Incineration – Waste is subjected to high temperatures and burned, with the remaining ash going to a landfill for disposal. Certain materials, in accordance with a vendor’s waste acceptance policies, such as pathological wastes, non-hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, and trace chemotherapeutic wastes should be segregated and incinerated to ensure proper destruction.
Environmental Impact
In addition to the positive impacts on the health and safety of healthcare providers and patients, compliant waste disposal is also good for the environment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), improper treatment and disposal of healthcare waste can create health risks by indirectly releasing pathogens and toxic pollutants into the environment. For example, the disposal of untreated medical waste can contaminate drinking, surface, and groundwaters. Therefore, it’s essential to choose a medical waste management provider that properly treats and disposes of waste.
Learn more about how Stericycle helps healthcare organizations compliantly manage biohazardous waste to ensure staff and environmental safety.
