Question

What are the three main categories of biomedical waste?

Answer 1

Answer:

Medical waste can be classified into four different categories: infectious, hazardous, radioactive, and general.

Infectious waste

Waste that has the possibility of causing infections to humans. It can include human or animal tissue (blood or other body parts), blood-soaked bandages, discarded surgical gloves, cultures, stocks, or swabs to inoculate cultures. Many waste streams in this category, including human or animal tissue, can also be labeled as pathological waste, which requires specific treatment methods. This type of waste is also called biowaste or biomedical waste.

Hazardous waste

Waste that has the possibility to affect humans in non-infectious ways, but which meets federal guidelines for hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Hazardous waste includes chemicals, both medical and industrial. Some hazardous waste can also be considered infectious waste, depending on its origin and exposure to human or animal tissue prior to discard. Old drugs, including chemotherapy agents, are sometimes hazardous. Although not RCRA waste, sharps are hazardous in that they can cause injuries. Among waste managers, sharps are objects that can puncture or lacerate the skin; they include needles and syringes, discarded surgical instruments such as scalpels and lancets, culture dishes and other glassware.

Radioactive waste

Radioactive waste can be generated from nuclear medicine treatments, cancer therapies and medical equipment that uses radioactive isotopes. Pathological waste that is contaminated with radioactive material is usually treated as radioactive waste rather than infectious waste. Most hospitals generate radioactive waste as do some doctors' offices and veterinary offices if they offer brachytherapy.

General waste (Municipal Solid Waste)

About 85% of waste generated at medical facilities is no different from general household or office waste, and includes paper, plastics, liquids and other materials that do not fit into the previous three categories. Waste professionals refer to this as municipal solid waste, and it is usually disposed of in landfills.

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