About Medical Waste Disposal in Laboratories

Medical laboratories generate a large amount of waste that needs to be disposed of properly. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), individual states have regulations that cover hazardous biomedical waste. Currently, 90 percent of medical waste is incinerated.

Types of Waste

Laboratories dispose of a variety of waste materials including tubes of blood that are left over after testing is completed, materials from the machines that run the blood tests, body fluid samples, such as spinal fluid and urine, and contaminated gloves, gauze and bandages.

Biohazardous Waste

Any material that is contaminated with blood or body fluid is considered to be potentially infectious and is deemed a biohazard. This includes Sharps containers, which hold needles and glassware after use, as well as used gloves, swabs and removed body organs.

Laws

Each state has laws regarding the disposal of medical waste, as does the federal government. Compliance with these laws is mandatory. Medical facilities that choose to disregard these laws are at risk for huge fines.

Incineration Regulations

There are strict guidelines for air emissions for states that have medical waste incinerators. The EPA estimates that these guidelines will drastically reduce mercury, particulate matter, dioxin and hydrogen chloride emissions.

Alternative Techniques

There are other alternatives for disinfection of medical waste. These include steam sterilizing, or autoclaving, thermal treatments, such as microwave disinfections and other mechanical chemical systems of sterilization.

References

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Phlebotomy Essentials; Ruth E. McCall; 2003

Resources

• State Regulations