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Medical wastes are considered hazardous because they may possess infectious agents and can cause unsafe effects on the environment and human health. This study is to analyze and evaluate the current status of medical waste management at Jenin’s district in light of medical waste control regulations recommended by the World Health Organization. The results demonstrated that the average hazardous healthcare waste generation rate ranges from 0.54 to 1.82 kg/bed/day with a weighted average of 0.78 kg/bed/day. There was no established waste segregation of healthcare waste types in all hospitals, and these wastes were finally disposed of in a centralized municipal sanitary landfill, namely Zahrat Al-Finjan. The results suggest that there is a need for activation and enforcement of medical waste laws. This can be achieved through cooperation among key actors: Ministry of Health, Environmental Quality Authority, Ministry of Local Government, and Non-Governmental Organizations working in related fields. Additional remediation measures proposed to tackle the problematic areas of medical waste management in Jenin’s district hospitals are addressed. Some recommendations to minimize potential health and environmental risks of medical waste are also introduced.

Hospitals have been existing in one form or the other since time immemorial but there never had been so much concern about the waste generated by them. The implications of hospital wastes are manifold. Now hospital waste management is one of the thrust areas which are drawing attention of health authorities and also the government. Hospital waste management requires commitment from persons at all the levels of the health care facility.The present interventional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice about hospital waste management and to provide training programme on hospital waste management for the staff and to assess the effect of training among the staff of dental teaching hospitals in Bangalore city. For the purpose of conducting this study cluster sampling procedure was adopted, and eight dental teaching hospitals were randomly selected.A specially prepared, and pre-tested structured questionnaire, was given to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices among the staff of dental teaching hospitals and collected personally. In each institution the following elements were studied using checklist i.e segregation, disinfection, disfigurement, containment, colour coding, personal protective equipment, in house transport and disposal. One day training programme on the hospital waste management was organized at each dental college. Training was given in English to the Dentist and Dental Auxiliary and the local (Kannada) language for the Attenders. Learning media used was Audiovisual Aid- LCD projector. The duration of training per each cadre was for one and half hour which was interactive, participatory and task focused. Two months after initial training, the same baseline questionnaire was administered to the staff i.e. Dentist, Dental Auxillary and Attenders and monitoring of the waste management practices was done using the same check list, used earlier. Intervention was evaluated by assessing improvements in their knowledge, attitude and practice scores after intervention in comparison to the base line scores. This comparison involved mean and percentage changes in their knowledge, attitude and practice on the hospital waste management. Appropriate statistical tests were used to analyze the data.177 dentists, 19 auxiliaries and 54 attenders completed the study. Two months after intervention 24.4% improvement in knowledge was found among the dentists, 18.7% improvements among auxiliaries and 23.3% improvements (p.

Background Large amounts of expired and unused medications accumulate in households. This potentially exposes the public to hazards due to uncontrolled use of medications. Most of the expired or unused medications that accumulate in households (household medical waste) is thrown to the garbage or flushed down to the sewage, potentially contaminating waste-water, water resources and even drinking water. There is evidence that pharmaceutical active ingredients reach the environment, including food, however the risk to public health from low level exposure to pharmaceuticals in the environment is currently unknown. In Israel, there is no legislation regarding household medical waste collection and disposal. Furthermore, only less than 14 % of Israelis return unused medications to Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) pharmacies. Methods In this study, we investigated world-wide approaches and programs for household medical waste collection and disposal. Results In many countries around the world there are programs for household medical waste collection. In many countries there is legislation to address the issue of household medical waste, and this waste is collected in hospitals, clinics, law enforcement agencies and pharmacies. Furthermore, in many countries, medication producers and pharmacies pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste, following the “polluter pays” principle. Conclusions Several approaches and methods should be considered in Israel: (a) legislation and regulation to enable a variety of institutes to collect household medical waste (b) implementing the “polluter pays” principle and enforcing medical products manufactures to pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste. (c) Raising awareness of patients, pharmacists, and other medical health providers regarding the health and environmental risks in accumulation of drugs and throwing them to the garbage, sink or toilet. (d) Adding specific instructions regarding disposal of the drug, in the medication label and leaflet. (e) Examining incentives for returning medications to pharmacies. (f) Examining drug collection from deceased in retirement homes and hospitals.

Dead pigs are a major waste by-product of pig farming. Thus, safe disposal of dead pigs is important to the protection of consumer health and the ecological environment by preventing marketing of slaughtered and processed dead pigs and improper dumping of dead pigs. In this study, a probability model was constructed for the disposal of dead pigs by pig farmers by selecting factors affecting disposal. To that end, we drew on the definition and meaning of behavior probability based on survey data collected from 654 pig farmers in Funing County, Jiangsu Province, China. Moreover, the role of influencing factors in pig farmers’ behavioral choices regarding the disposal of dead pigs was simulated by simulation experiment. The results indicated that years of farming had a positive impact on pig farmers’ choice of negative disposal of dead pigs. Moreover, there was not a simple linear relationship between scale of farming and pig farmers’ behavioral choices related to the disposal of dead pigs. The probability for farmers to choose the safe disposal of dead pigs increased with the improvement of their knowledge of government policies and relevant laws and regulations. Pig farmers’ behavioral choice about the disposal of dead pigs was also affected by government subsidy policies, regulation, and punishment. Government regulation and punishment were more effective than subsidy. The findings of our simulation experiment provide important decision-making support for the governance in preventing the marketing of dead pigs at the source.

Placentas have been often considered medical waste in hospitals. This view is particularly held by the patients themselves, who may not understand the importance of placental examination. Hospitals have been receiving requests for placental release to patients and need to be prepared to handle these requests. Therefore, a survey was conducted to explore the experiences and practices of perinatal pathologists with respect to placental release. Utilizing SurveyMonkey, we emailed a survey to 192 practicing perinatal pathologists in the United States and Canada. Questions were asked about policies in force at their particular institution, conditions of release, and the purpose of release, ie, what the disposition of the placenta was after release to the family. Thirty-six responses were received; 22 (61.1%) of respondents did allow release of placentas, and those who did not release usually reported that they had not received requests for release. In most cases, specific policies were in place, with multiple departments within the hospital having input on the creation of the policy. Parental signature was required in most cases. The most common reason for patient request was to bury the placenta, although some placental release was for consumption and/or encapsulation. Although there are no specific religious requirements for use or burial of the placenta after delivery, there are many cultural reasons for requests. Hospitals and specific providers need to be aware of this interest and have a specific policy in place so that they are prepared when a request is received.

The study also revealed that in almost 10% of health facilities nationwide, used syringes and needles were sold off to waste-pickers. [...] the Indian Government has introduced the compulsory use of auto-disposable syringes in the public sector.

The VMD's letter clearly points out the three agencies currently covering the UK, but I believe it likely that, in the near future, Wales will develop its own unique environmental identity. [...]depressingly, veterinary practices should be aware that they are seen as an extension of the human healthcare sector, for which there is a new guidance document launched by the Department of Health in April 2011.

The management of waste disposal is an important area of healthcare practice and is governed by both European and UK legislation. The Department of Health (DH) Memorandum (HTM 07-01) Safe Management of Healthcare Waste sets out the guidance. 8 references

If you wish to check whether a particular medicine can be classified as hazardous waste, you should contact the appropriate agency: EA - www.environment-agency.gov.uk/default.aspx ; SEPA - www.sepa.org.uk/default.aspx ; NIEA - www.doeni.gov.uk/index.htm You may also find it helpful to contact the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain ( www.rpharms.com/home/home.asp ) for additional information.