Cochin University to suggest alternative waste disposal methods

Dr A K Sabhapathy -

Bio-medical waste management has been a matter of debate and concern in the healthcare industry for the last three years. Kerala’s Qualified Private Medical Practitioners' & Hospitals' Association (QPMPA) after having concluded that waste treatment cannot be satisfactorily implemented as prescribed in the Bio-medical waste Act urged the School of Environmental studies, Cochin University to take up the problem and find alternatives. The programme charted out was as follows:

Part 1

• Identification and quantification of bio-medical waste generation.
• Identification of workable segregation procedure to minimize the quantity of infectious waste.

Part 2

• Evolve workable segregation proposals for segregation of waste at different points of generation.
• Evolve proposal for treatment and disposal through discussion with various concerned agencies.

Part 3

• Implement the proposal in a selected hospital
• Performance evaluation through discussion, sampling and testing, and evaluation.
• After evaluation a code of procedure will be developed for the management of the wastes right from generation to disposal.

A team of senior professionals and postgraduate students undertook this study in various hospitals. The following are the some of the observations made by the school of environmental studies by the Cochin University.

BMW (Management and Handling) Rule 1998 - recommendation

Treatment options

* Incineration

a. Human anatomical wastes, organs, body parts
b. Animal tissues etc
c. Microbiological and biotechnology wastes
d. Discarded medicines, cytotoxic drugs, outdated drugs
e. Solid wastes contaminated with blood and body fluids, cotton dressings

* Deep Burial

a. Human anatomical wastes
b. Animal wastes

* Local Autoclaving

a. Microbiology and biotechnology wastes
b. Laboratory samples
c. Solid wastes contaminated with blood
d. Solid wastes generated from disposable items

* Disinfection chemical treatment

a. Waste sharp
b. Solid waste generated from disposable items
c. Liquid waste
d. Chemical wastes

New proposals that have been tentatively suggested by SES are:

• Category 1 (Human Tissues) - Digested in specially constructed vault in public cemetery/specially designated place.
• Category 2 (Animal waste) - Digested in specially constructed vault in public cemetery/specially designated place.
• Category 3 (Microbiology biotechnology wastes) - Local autoclaving at points of generation of infected waste. Disposal after autoclaving along with municipal wastes
• Category 4 (waste sharps) - Disinfection, autoclaving and burning needles in needle destroyer
• Category 5 (Discarded medicals) - Shredding/chemical; destruction disposal through municipal wastes
• Category 6 (Biological, Solid wastes contaminated with blood, body fluids in addition placenta etc) - effluent sent to septic tank
• Category 7 (Solid Waste generated from disposable items) - Shredding disinfection, autoclaving and disposal with municipal wastes
• Category 8 (Liquid waste) - Appropriate waste treatment (To be examined by SES)
• Category 9 (Incinerator ash) - N.A. as incineration is eliminated
• Category 10 (Chemical waste) - Specific chemical treatment. Liquid wastes to drains and solids to landfill.

The study is expected to be completed in 6 months time and an extension period is granted by the Ministry of Environment. The greatest advantage of the particular scheme is :

a. The entire treatment is completed with in the hospital premises.
b. A very ecos-friendly and pollution free environment.
c.A procedure that can be undertaken by all the hospitals.