Page 128 - Energy from Toxic Organic Waste for Heat and Power Generation

110 Energy from Toxic Organic Waste for Heat and Power Generation

Health-care activities protect and restore health and save lives. But what
about the waste and by-products they generate? Of the total amount of
waste generated by health-care activities, about 85% is general, nonhazard-
ous waste comparable to domestic waste. The remaining 15% is considered
hazardous material that may be infectious, toxic, or radioactive.

8.5.3 Health Risks
Health-care waste contains potentially harmful microorganisms which can
infect hospital patients, health workers, and the general public. Other poten-
tial infectious risks may include the spread of drug-resistant microorganisms
from health facilities into the environment.
Health risks associated with waste and by-products also include:
▪ Radiation burns;
▪ Sharps-inflicted injuries;
▪ Poisoning and pollution through the release of pharmaceutical products,
in particular, antibiotics and cytotoxic drugs; and
▪ Poisoning and pollution through waste water; and by toxic elements
or compounds such as mercury or dioxins that are released during
incineration.

8.5.4 Sharps-Related

Worldwide, an estimated 16 billion injections are administered every year.
Not all needles and syringes are disposed of safely, creating a risk of injury
and infection and opportunities for reuse.
Injections with contaminated needles and syringes in low- and
middle-income countries have reduced substantially in recent years, partly
due to efforts to reduce reuse of injection devices. Despite this progress,
in 2010, unsafe injections were still responsible for as many as 33,800 new
HIV infections, 1.7 million hepatitis B infections, and 315,000 hepatitis C
infections.
A person who experiences one needle-stick injury from a needle used
on an infected source patient has risks of 30%, 1.8%, and 0.3%, respectively,
of becoming infected with HBV, HCV, and HIV.
Additional hazards occur from scavenging at waste disposal sites and
during the manual sorting of hazardous waste from health-care facilities.
These practices are common in many regions of the world, especially
in low- and middle-income countries. The waste handlers are at imme-
diate risk of needle-stick injuries and exposure to toxic or infectious
materials.