Javad Torkashvand; Mahdi Farzadkia; Ahmad Jonidi Jafari; Mohsen Heidari; Ahmad Ghalkhanbaz
Abstract
Background and Aims: There are various methods for the disinfection of infectious wastes which are of great importance due to their potential health and environmental risks and there are different insights about their management in Iran. Hence, the aim of this study was to survey the various aspects ...
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Background and Aims: There are various methods for the disinfection of infectious wastes which are of great importance due to their potential health and environmental risks and there are different insights about their management in Iran. Hence, the aim of this study was to survey the various aspects of disinfection methods of infectious waste on the basis of environmental health specialist insights. Material and Methods: For performing this study, a questionnaire was prepared and the opinions of the specialists were gathered about five disinfection and disposal methods of infectious wastes, and finally the data were analyzed. Moreover, the preferences of the specialists for selecting each method were also asked based on 9 various aspects. Results: It was found that health issues received the highest priority (with 26% of desirability) from the specialists in selecting the method, while the lowest priority was assigned for financial issues (with 8% of desirability) and political acceptability (with 6% of desirability). Environmental health specialists believed that autoclaving and waste incinerating with 77.8% and 44.1% of desirability, respectively, are the most favorable and undesirable methods for disinfecting the infectious wastes. The results showed that the disinfection is a top priority for the specialists, and, with respect to current situation, they did not make any significant difference between on-site and ex-situ disinfecting methods, which is reflected in the scores of 3.65 and 3.72 for these two scenarios. Conclusion: Overall, health aspects have the most important priority in the management of infectious wastes. Therefore, autoclaving and microwaving are the most appropriate methods for the disinfection of such wastes. Landfilling and incineration were not suggested for the disposal or treatment of infectious wastes.
Mona Tabriziazad; Anooshiravan Mohseni Band-pay
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Over the last several decades, huge amounts of different kinds of wastes have been produced by human activities and alterations in man’s lifestyle and consumption patterns. Medical sciences are among the world’s top advanced professional sections. However, ...
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ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives: Over the last several decades, huge amounts of different kinds of wastes have been produced by human activities and alterations in man’s lifestyle and consumption patterns. Medical sciences are among the world’s top advanced professional sections. However, it seems that a portion of the produced wastes in medical units called "special wastes" or "clinical wastes", have not been seriously taken into consideration especially in developing countries, This study examined the Waste Management assessment in educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 educational hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in autumn 2013. First, a questionnaire was designed and its validity was approved. Then, the required data including (production, segregation, storage, collection, treating, transportation, and Disposal) was gathered during visits to participating hospitals. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 16.
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Results:Findings showed that the daily production of infectious and sharps wastes in the studied hospitals generally equaled 3387 kg. All hospitals were equipped with non-incineration systems; however, only 83.3% of them were active. Therefore, some infectious wastes were disposed of along with urban wastes without being sterilized.
Conclusion: Overall, waste management in hospitals was relatively appropriate, but due to the importance of the issue, it needs to pay more attention in some cases.
behnam sepehrnia; azadeh navidmehr; fazllolah changani
Abstract
Background & Objective: One of the sources of municipal wastes is hospitals and health centers. At present in Iran, details regarding the quantity and quality of wastes generated in health centers are not available and specialists are facing many unknowns in planning, systematic and accurate management ...
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Background & Objective: One of the sources of municipal wastes is hospitals and health centers. At present in Iran, details regarding the quantity and quality of wastes generated in health centers are not available and specialists are facing many unknowns in planning, systematic and accurate management of wastes generated in these centers. Material & Methods: This cross sectional-exploratory and applied study was accomplished in 25 health centers in south of Tehran during 2012-15. In this study, weights and volumes of regular and infectious wastes have been determined in health centers with evaluation of the 250 checklist set during different seasons by environmental health experts. Results: Waste capitation per each person has been determined 41 gr, of which 22.5 gr and 18.6 gr belong to the regular and infectious wastes, respectively. The volume of produced regular and infectious wastes was also 0.07 and 0.056 (L/person/day), correspondingly. The density of the infectious and regular wastes was 329 and 320 (Kg/m3), in that order. Conclusion: The amount of waste generated in health-care centers is much lower than that is able to be a serious challenge for the waste management of these centers regarding the type of their activity, being usually administrative and educational. Appropriate waste separation and not mixing of infectious and regular wastes need to be provided training and greater supervision. The best performance of waste management system in these centers was the safe and accurate disposal of sharp wastes in Safety boxes.