Wastes generated by all medical facilities
or research laboratories are not similar. On the contrary, they are subject to
specific safety regulations during disposal. OSHA and all regulatory
authorities recommend the use of special cytotoxic
waste bins
to hold such wastes before they are treated and discarded. Following the
regulations perfectly can go a long way in protecting individuals and animals while
ensuring environment conservation as well.
Trying to dispose of hazardous wastes
cannot be done as a routine. You need to check each type of waste generated at
a health care unit or lab and segregate them according to properties and risks
for causing harm. It is certainly not a task that one can learn easily. This
makes it important for you to contact a professional company, adept at
cytotoxic waste management.
While it is important to be aware of the
potential hazards and take appropriate steps to correct the mistakes, you must
discuss the process of waste disposal needed for your facility with a
professional who has years of experience in completing such tasks successfully.
Some of the things that you must know about
retaining the cytotoxic wastes within your premises before they are transported
or treated effectively include:
Cytotoxic
Drugs: What are they?
You will often hear cytotoxic drugs being
referred to as cytostatic medicines. True, they are more or less the same yet
there is a subtle difference between the two. It is alarming to note that the
latter often reduces the formation of new cells in the body and affects their
division adversely, the firmer is toxic to the bodily cells and kills them off.
This is extremely dangerous for a healthy individual who is exposed to such
drugs inadvertently. The responsibility of cleaning the facility to keep the
risks low lies with the facility owner or management.
Problems
of Contamination After Exposure
Increases the risk of developing cancer
The contaminants may affect the genetic
component within the body and alter it with adverse effects becoming visible in
future
Such contaminants are acutely toxic i.e.
they may produce serious health issues within a short time of exposure.
Moreover, a single exposure can become too severe for comfort
Many workers who have been exposed to
cytotoxic materials/wastes become infertile. Reproduction is inhibited with the
fertility and sexual functions affected too
OSHA
guidelines
It is important to take note of OSHA
guidelines before trying to dispose of the hazardous materials that may affect
your life and health along with that of your workers. While the amount of
generated wastes must be checked and efforts should be made to keep it low, the
professional team entrusted with disposal should collect the waste material
from the site of generation to reduce the spread of contamination. The
employees of your facility as well as regular cleaners/ janitors must be
trained to function within such an environment too. Ideally, yellow or purple
color containers need o to be kept handy for the storage of cytotoxic
contaminants.
Specialized, reusable cytotoxic waste bins have proved to be the best containers for
holding highly toxic materials of late.
Post a Comment