Mojtaba Davoudi; Zohre Vojodi; Tayebe Jafarian; Akram Robat jazi; Zainab Fuladi; Maryam Jafarian; Sima Nourbakhsh
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Increased waste production during patient treatment emerges as a serious issue following infectious disease outbreaks. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on medical waste production in Mashhad, Iran.Materials and Methods: In this study, ...
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Background and Purpose: Increased waste production during patient treatment emerges as a serious issue following infectious disease outbreaks. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on medical waste production in Mashhad, Iran.Materials and Methods: In this study, 4 referral (R) and 2 non-referral (NR) hospitals were examined. The quantity and quality of waste produced before (2018-2019) and during COVID-19 (2019-2020) were extracted from hospital records and noted in standard medical waste management checklists. Also, the number of hospital visits due to COVID-19 was determined and entered into the study by referring to the Treatment Deputy of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.Results: The results showed that the mean waste production was 449.50 ± 49.45 kg/day and 436.04 ± 107.55 kg/day in 2018-2019 (before COVID-19) and 2019-2020 (during the outbreak) in R1, respectively, 3000.26 ± 227.46 kg/day and 3279.72 ± 153.00 in R2, 544.53 ± 107.10 kg/day and 666.32 ± 156.68 in R3, and 476.72 ± 15.96 kg/day and 635.41 ± 54.88 kg/day in R4. Also, the mean waste production was 219.6 ± 36.90 and 199.06 ± 49.58 kg/day in NR1 and 112.1 ± 29.55 kg/day and 108.8±59.1 kg/day in NR2 before and during COVID-19, respectively. Field surveys showed that despite the increased amount of waste production, all waste management stages, such as collection, transfer, and disposal, are being implemented in accordance with the guidelines.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the medical waste production rate is related to the prevalence of diseases. Considering the importance of medical waste management, it requires careful and correct application of national and international guidelines.
Seyed Amir Hosseini Largani; Shahin Rafiee; Seyed Saeed Mohtasebi
Abstract
AbstractBackground and Aim: The impact of various types of waste produced in the system, transportation and treatment of waste, and diversity of pollutants due to waste collection are some standard problems that communities, including Iran, are straggling with. The city of Tehran, as the capital of Iran, ...
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AbstractBackground and Aim: The impact of various types of waste produced in the system, transportation and treatment of waste, and diversity of pollutants due to waste collection are some standard problems that communities, including Iran, are straggling with. The city of Tehran, as the capital of Iran, produces more than 7,000 tons of waste per day, and if this volume of waste is not properly managed, it will release excessive emissions into the environment.Materials and methods: In this research, a superstructure model for solid waste management was presented, with an approach to achieve the maximum avoided emissions. Optimization was done by normalizing the output of the emissions and then categorizing and sorting the data.Results: We examined 31250 different scenarios and based on the obtained results, the best scenario in terms of emission optimization was scenario 21303. Based on this scenario, organic materials, paper, and wood undergo anaerobic digestion while plastics, glass, and metals enter a recycling system. In this case, the amount of emissions avoided is equal to -837027 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per day.Conclusion: Anaerobic digestion of organic materials, paper, and wood and recycling of plastics, glass, and iron can be selected as a sustainable model for the current waste management system in Tehran. In this case, the amount of emission avoided will be very high and it can be considered the best environmentally friendly option.Keywords: Superstructure, Optimization, Waste Management, Emissions, Tehran
Morad Ali Zareipour; Ehsan Movahed; Ali Asghar Kheirkhah; Fatemeh Seyedi; Mahsa Tahergorabi; Shohreh Shafiei
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aim: One of the most important issues in maintaining and promoting community health is comprehensive waste management, especially in the COVID-19 epidemic. Failure to pay attention to waste management leaves irreparable damage. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge ...
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Abstract Background and Aim: One of the most important issues in maintaining and promoting community health is comprehensive waste management, especially in the COVID-19 epidemic. Failure to pay attention to waste management leaves irreparable damage. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and practice of health workers about the stages of waste management in the COVID-19 epidemic. Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was performed on 428 health workers working at Jiroft University of Medical Sciences. A convenience sampling method was used. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire on waste management. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and logistic regression tests with SPSS24 software. Results: The mean age of employees was 32.16 7 ±7.03 years. The staff’s knowledge and practice about waste management in COVID-19 conditions were 54.2% good, 32.2% moderate, and 13.6% poor. All stages of waste management had significant positive correlations with each other (p <0.05). Logistic regression results showed that the female gender (OR = 1.8, P = 0.001), place of work (OR = 2.1, P = 0.002), higher education (OR = 2.9, P = 0.001), and good economic status (OR = 2.7, P = 0.001) increase the probability of knowledge and practice of health workers about waste management in COVID-19 conditions. Conclusion: In general, the knowledge and practice of employees about waste management in the COVID-19 epidemic were good, but it is necessary to make educational interventions in accordance with the determinants of waste management to increase and maintain the knowledge and performance of employees. Article type: Original Quantitative Research Article Keywords: Knowledge; Performance; Waste Management; Health Workers; COVID-19
Hosein Alidadi; Habibollah Esmaili; Sayede Fateme Aghaee; Sayed Abolfazl Mirzaee; Mohammad Naser Shafiee Jafarabadi
Abstract
Background and objective: Nowadays, wastes of dental offices have become a major environmental issue for their hazardous, toxic and pathogenic features. The aim of this study was to survey on the wastes produced in dental offices of Bojnord. Materials & Methods: In this study 28 dentists' ...
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Background and objective: Nowadays, wastes of dental offices have become a major environmental issue for their hazardous, toxic and pathogenic features. The aim of this study was to survey on the wastes produced in dental offices of Bojnord. Materials & Methods: In this study 28 dentists' offices were studied. From each office, three samples were taken for three consecutive day’s week in a week. The samples were manually separated into 64 different components and weighed with a digital scale .The components were classified in 4 groups based on their hazardous characteristics. We analyzed the data by using descriptive statistics, SPSS 19 and the Excel software. Results: The total wastes production was 6162.31 Kg in one year. The share of infectious, semi household, chemical - pharmaceutical and toxic wastes was 40.85, 49.99, 7.47, and 1.69% respectively. The main wastes produced in dental offices consisted of 16 components which can be considered as more than 80% of the dental wastes. Conclusion:It is suggested that dentists should be trained to reduce, separate and recycle the wastes in accordance with relevant rules and regulations. Because the segregation of recyclable parts from dental wastes can lead to reduction of a large amount of wastes and so that the costs of collection, transportation, disposal and disinfecting will be reduced.