Biomedical waste management – A review

Abstract

Various national and international agencies have shown their concern toward proper handling, treatment and disposal of biomedical waste, asthey may cause serious infectious diseases such as hepatitis, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Most of the hospitals do not have effective disposalsystem leading to complex problem of hygiene and sanitation in hospitals. The use of disposable items has reduced the rate of infection but at the same time has increased the volume of the waste which needs to be disposed properly. Effective waste disposal can be achieved only by considering the various components of the waste management system and this should be made an integral part of hospital planning and designing.