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Methods Of Medical Waste Disposal Tn

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By Kenya Campos


Medical waste disposal is a very important aspect for many organizations. There exist five major ways of medical waste disposal tn residents can make use of. These are irradiation, microwaves, disinfection using chemicals, use of autoclaves and incineration. For all the techniques, the resulting wastes can then be gotten rid of in landfills. There is also the option of disposing of them in sewer systems. In the past, disposal was done at the hospitals.

The treatment from hospitals has however changed over time due to the expenses incurred and the regulations in place. Private companies are preferred for collection, treatment and disposal of medical waste. Organizations doing their own treatment are few. In order that every method used offers the proper environment for destruction of biologicals, there is the use of test packages that contain microbiological spore test indicators. These are used to test effectiveness of methods used. The microbiological spores are the toughest biological to get rid of.

Roughly 90 percent of medical wastes are incinerated. This is the controlled burning of wastes in incinerators. A belt is used to pass the wastes through the incinerator, with the wastes not sorted before being treated. The benefits of the procedure are the fact that the volume of the waste is reduced, it is sterilized and any need for pre-processing prior to treatment is eliminated. The wastes that result can be disposed of in a number of ways, in landfills for instance.

With the modern incinerators, there is harnessing of created heat to boilers that are found in the facility. Flames that result in the primary chamber are used in igniting fossil fuels in the secondary chamber then used to power boilers. Pollution and notably production of gases is among the biggest concerns of the procedure.

Autoclaves are chambers that are closed and apply pressure and heat, and at times steam, over some time to sterilize medical wastes. The procedure has been used for ages and can destroy all microorganisms that could be found in wastes before they are disposed of in traditional landfills. The pressure within the chamber is lowered by the autoclave. This shortens time required to generate steam. Wastes in autoclaves are subjected to compaction processes like shredding so that they cannot be recognized.

Chemical disinfection involves the use of the element chlorine and is another option of disposal. The consistency and ease of control makes this option popular. It however is mostly preferred for liquid substances. Proper exposure of the chemicals is ensured through the use of mechanical procedures like shredding. These ensure that all portions are exposed to the chemicals.

A procedure that is relatively new is the use of microwaves. It involves the use of on-site or mobile units. There is first shredding of the wastes before they are mixed with water then subjected to microwaves. Microwaves internally heat wastes, generating steam in the process. The steam has very high temperature and neutralizes any pathogens.

Irradiation involves exposing wastes to a cobalt source. There is generation of gamma radiation by the cobalt source which inactivates all the microbes present in the waste material. This technique requires dedicated sites.




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