To dispose of it properly, medical waste must be handled with care. When dealing with waste medical, the biggest problem is infection. Lab cultures, as well as pathological wastes, can carry dangerous contagious agents. When sharps (such as injections and scissors) are not handled properly, harmful agents can be injected directly into the body – click this link.

Hazardous Wastes is a distinct category but can also overlap with Medical Waste. The waste could be hazardous as well as medical. The medical wastes that are hazardous contain toxic substances, including those found in chemotherapy. As a result, they must be regulated under federal law.

Two ways to dispose of such waste are described below.

Incineration

Incineration is the process of burning hazardous medical waste. Incinerators come in three different types, including excess air, controlled air and the rotary-kiln.

Medical waste incinerators (MWIs) are the most commonly used technology in the world. They dominate the new market of systems for hospitals and medical facilities.

Thermal Processes

Heat-based processes, such as thermal processing. Thermochemical processes use heat to eliminate pathogens. This group is subdivided further into thermal processes with low, medium, or high temperatures. It is important to further divide thermal processes because the physical and chemistry reactions take place at different temperatures.

Low-heat thermochemical processes use heat to decontaminate waste at temperatures below those required to break down chemicals or support combustion. In general, thermal low-heat processes operate at temperatures between 200 F (93 C) and about 350 F.

Chemical breakdown occurs in organic materials at temperatures of 350 F to 710 F. These are newer technologies based on these processes.

Generally, high-heat thermal process operate between temperatures of around 540 C up to 15,000 F. Electric resistance, gas and/or Plasma energy are used to generate this heat.