Question

5 example of biological waste

Answer 1

Microbiological waste is most common in laboratories. Examples are disposable culture dishes and specimen cultures. Other examplesinclude discarded viruses and devices that technicians use to mix cultures. Microbiological waste contains infectious agents, microorganisms, and biologicals.

Answer 2

1. Solid Biohazardous Waste

Solid biohazardous waste is any non-sharp material that contacts human or animal specimens. These materials include personal protective equipment (PPE), Petri dishes, towels, linens, and pipettes.

You manage sharps (like scalpels and needles) separate from other items, including any other items that break easily. For example, blood vials and other glass objects become sharp when broken.

How to Dispose of Solid Waste

Healthcare professionals should collect solid waste in a designated container lined by an autoclave bag.

Personnel should mark the autoclave bag with the biohazard symbol. Personnel decontaminates the solid waste can on site by autoclaving. They then dispose of it as regular medical waste, sending it to a pre-approved landfill.

If personnel does not decontaminate onsite, then a waste management company collects it. The waste management company will then dispose of it according to regulation.

2. Liquid Biohazardous Waste

Liquid medical waste is body fluids or blood that may contain an infectious agent. If the liquid is in an amount less than 25 milliliters, healthcare personnel can dispose of it as solid waste.

Any amount over 25 milliliters requires a different disposal method.

How to Dispose of Liquid Waste

Healthcare personnel must collect any liquid biohazardous waste in leak-proof containers. They must secure the container so it doesn’t tip over and label the container as a biohazard.

For extra security, personnel can place the liquid containers in a secondary container, like a tray or bucket.

Personnel can dispose of most liquid waste by treating it with bleach or they can autoclave it as a liquid biohazard. An exception is a liquid that contains body fluid and chemical waste.

Personnel should contact their medical waste disposal provider about that. The provider can provide disposal recommendations and services.

3. Sharp Biohazardous Waste

Sharp biohazardous medical waste is “sharps.” It is any medical device that could be infectious and is sharp enough to puncture the skin. If it can puncture the skin, it can also puncture a plastic bag.

Sharps include items like needles, microscope slides, scalpels, and broken glass vials. Any of these may contain biohazardous material.

How to Dispose of Sharp Waste

The healthcare industry has designated specific containers for collecting sharps. These containers are resistant to puncture, leak-proof, and safe to handle.

Personnel should collect all sharps in these special containers. It doesn’t matter what material is in them. They should label the sharps containers with the correct symbol to identify them.

Plastic serum pipettes aren’t sharp enough to puncture the skin, but they can poke through plastic bags. Personnel should manage them as sharps.

A facility’s local medical waste service provider picks up contaminated sharps.

4. Pathological Biohazardous Waste

Pathological waste includes any removed animal or human organs, tissues, and body parts. Any of these may contain infectious agents.

Waste materials from a biopsy procedure fall into this category. Another example is anatomical parts that personnel removed during autopsies or surgeries.

How to Dispose of Pathological Waste

Healthcare personnel should double-bag pathological waste to prevent leaks. Personnel should then store it in a secondary container as they would liquid waste.

From there, they dispose of it by incineration or other chemical treatment. Autoclaving is not appropriate for pathological waste.

5. Microbiological Waste

Microbiological waste is most common in laboratories. Examples are disposable culture dishes and specimen cultures. Other examples include discarded viruses and devices that technicians use to mix cultures.

Microbiological waste contains infectious agents, microorganisms, and biologicals. This category includes discarded causal agents created by biological and antibiotics production.

These wastes may contain pathogenic organisms. Finally, microbiological waste comes from clinical or research procedures involving communicable infectious agents.

How to Dispose of Microbiological Waste

Many hospitals autoclave their microbiological wastes. Then they take them to the waste storage area. Personnel treats them onsite depending on what other category the waste falls.

For example, if it’s a sharps waste, then personnel places it in to the designated container. The same protocol applies for solid or liquid waste.

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