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Many medical procedures result in some form of wastethat needs to be disposed of. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, medical waste refers to waste from places such as hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, dentists’ offices and medical laboratories. This waste must be disposed of properly to prevent the transmission of diseases as well as to protect the environment. However, the types of medical waste removal methods used depend on the type of medical waste produced. It is important for anyone who has to handle or dispose of medical waste to know about the different types of waste.

Types of Medical Waste

Medical waste is categorized based on its source. For example, waste from a medical lab is knownas microbiological waste. The main types of waste produced from medical services include:

Microbiological waste

This results mostly from labs where medical tests of cultures and tissues are done to determine what type of illness someone has prior to receiving treatment. They include culture dishes, swabs and the cultures themselves. The needles used to extract blood and tissues also fall into this group.

Bulk Human Blood/Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM)

The many categories of waste in this group include blood, blood products such as plasma, bodily fluids such as semen, vaginal secretions and amniotic fluids. In short, any type of secretions and fluids from the body falls into this category of medical waste.

Isolation Wastes

As the name suggests, these are the waste products and material resulting from the treatment of diseases that are easily passed from one person to another. Anything that is contaminated by the blood or body fluids and waste of people in isolation must be disposed ofby following stringent guidelines. This wastealso comes from the treatment or testing of people with conditions such as Ebola.

Sharps

This refers to medical implements such as injections needles and scalpels. These are normally disposed of in special containers placed in strategic locations in hospitals and doctors’ offices. These organizations tend to have an arrangement with a medical waste disposal agency that will collect the disposal units for destruction at special facilities.

 

The disposal method of choice will vary depending on the category of medical waste. Even if the medical waste is not considered to be contagious, it must be disposed of properly. When disposing of this type of waste, it is good practice to label them to ensure proper handling. In many cases, they are destroyedin special incinerators to minimize the impact on the environment.

To protect life and the environment, there are strict guidelines governing medical waste removal. The laws regulating medical waste removal vary by state. To learn about the law in your particular state, the Environmental Protection Agency’s website is a good place to start.