4 Types of Medical Waste

There Are 4 Major Types Of Medical Waste.

Anyone who manages medical waste disposal, whether it’s in a busy hospital, laboratory, veterinary practice, or dental office, knows that waste is dealt with a bit differently than a traditional office. Whereas most offices will have recycling, shredding, or regular waste paper receptacles, those that deal with medical waste must adhere to strict laws of segregation and handling. Not all medical waste is handled the same, as it is categorized depending on the type of waste. Generally, there are four major types of medical waste. What are they and how are they handled?

1. General Medical Waste

This is the lion’s share of medical waste in a facility and is not really hazardous. There are paper, plastic, and office waste. These can be disposed of regularly and don’t require any specific handling.

2. Infectious Medical Waste

For the management of infectious waste, including requirements for storage, transport, disposal, licensing, and processing each state has comprehensive rules. It is waste materials that can pose a risk of infection to humans, animals, and the overall environment. This includes blood-soaked bandages, sharps waste, surgical waste, human or body parts, cultures, and swabs.

3. Hazardous Medical Waste

However is not considered infectious to humans it is dangerous waste. Sharps are here because they have the ability to puncture or harm the user. Chemotherapy agents are in the group as chemicals, such as solvents, mercury in thermometers, and lead in paint.

4. Radioactive Medical Waste

It is waste that contains radioactive material. This includes radioactive therapies for tests such as thallium stress tests, and other nuclear medicine therapies to treat certain cancers in a medical setting. Nuclear medicine uses radiation to provide diagnostic information about the functioning of a person’s specific organs, or to treat them. A licensed medical waste hauler must collect it, as this waste disposal is closely monitored and regulated in most states. The waste must be treated and rendered harmless before it can be recycled or thrown away. Let us take care of your disposal to mitigate risk, maintain compliance, and keep communities safe. In addition to treatment and disposal, we offer an online

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Original article published as:
Title: 4 Types of Medical Waste
Author: Glycon LLC
Source:   https://www.glyconllc.com/blog/the-four-types-of-medical-waste/