Safe Waste Management Research Articles

Outbreak of hepatitis B in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat: A case-control study

Background: An outbreak of jaundice syndrome was reported from Sabarkantha district of Gujarat in February 2009. Initial investigation of serum specimens collected from the patients was positive for hepatitis B. The outbreak was investigated thoroughly. Materials and Methods: A confirmed case definition was made as a person residing in Sabarkantha district who developed jaundice symptoms with SGPT >400 IU and tested positive for HBsAg. A case-control study was conducted to identify the source of infection and to recommend public health measures. Results: Five-hundred and twenty-eight cases were reported of which, 93 died (Case fatality rate = 17.6%). Majority (61%) were males, and more than 77% were in the age group of 12-45 years. Eighty-four percent reported history of taking injections/needle prick in the last 6 months. In the case-control study there was strong association between cases and history of injection/needle prick (OR = 42.17). Hepatitis B mass vaccination was carried out to control the outbreak. Conclusion: This outbreak of hepatitis-B was associated with unsafe injection practices in private clinics of Sabarkantha district. Sensitization workshop for safe injection practices and waste management held among doctors. Legal actions were taken against the private practitioners involved in these unsafe injection practices.

Biogas from Slaughterhouse Waste: Towards an Energy Self-Sufficient Industry with Economical Analysis in India

Energy is the driving force for development in all countries of the world. Biochemical processes, like anaerobic digestion, can also produce clean energy in the form of biogas which can be converted to power. Using advanced and recent technologies it is now possible to develop eco-friendly processes in addition to treatment of wastewater generated by slaughter houses. The presented paper is an account of methods to control water pollution using biotechnological processes and its use to producing biogas. Use of UASB plant in large industry will fetch considerable profit to the industry in terms of energy savings. The approach promises a clean environment and better life standard. These methods offer two important benefits of environmentally safe waste management and disposal, as well as the generation of clean electric power and fertilizer. These methods would improve the understanding of existing biological process in order to increase their efficiency, productivity, flexibility and to maintain balance of the ecosystem.

A percepção dos trabalhadores de enfermagem sobre o manejo dos resíduos químicos perigosos

Este estudo objetivou identificar a percepção dos trabalhadores de enfermagem sobre o manejo dos resíduos químicos perigosos no Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo e elaborar uma proposta para o manejo desses resíduos. Trata-se de pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, cuja amostra foi intencional, composta por dezoito trabalhadores de enfermagem. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio da técnica de grupo focal. Com a análise temática foram identificadas quatro categorias que evidenciaram a deficiência de treinamento nas etapas do manejo, como a primeira dificuldade expressa, tendo aparecido ainda o desconhecimento da exposição e impactos, assim como o uso dos equipamentos de proteção individual em detrimento da proteção coletiva, seguidos das sugestões quanto às medidas de competência institucional e dos trabalhadores para o manejo seguro dos resíduos químicos perigosos. Esses dados permitiram recomendar propostas para o manejo adequado dos resíduos químicos perigosos pela enfermagem.

Investigation of Heavy Metals using Various Extraction Methods in Livestock Manures

The use of animal waste for a soil amendment is a viable option for waste management. For safe and sustainable management of waste, it is important to assess the concentrations of heavy metals (HM). An experiment was conducted to compare metals [copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn)] in cow manure (CM), duck litter (DL), poultry litter (PL), and poultry litter ash (PLA) using eight extraction solutions. Extractability of HM was highly dependent upon the type of waste as well as extracting agent. Manures differed for the release of HM in the order of PL > DL > CM. Marked decreases in extractable trace elements were observed after ashing of PL irrespective of extraction method. Except for water, extractions released HM in the order of Mn > Cu > Zn. For Zn and Mn, the amount extracted varied in the order 1 M nitric acid (HNO3) > 0.1 M HNO3 > 0.01 M HNO3 ≈ ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) > ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) > calcium chloride (CaCl2) > ammonium acetate (NH4OAc) > H2O in PL and PLA. Peak concentration of Cu was achieved in 1 M HNO3 solution and the lowest Cu was found in NH4OAc solution. On the basis of these results, the low extractability of HM in ash could suggest that the use of burned PL would be less of a water-pollution problem in the fields.

Microbial diversity of vermicompost bacteria that exhibit useful agricultural traits and waste management potential.

Vermicomposting is a non-thermophilic, boioxidative process that involves earthworms and associated microbes. This biological organic waste decomposition process yields the biofertilizer namely the vermicompost. Vermicompost is a finely divided, peat like material with high porosity, good aeration, drainage, water holding capacity, microbial activity, excellent nutrient status and buffering capacity thereby resulting the required physiochemical characters congenial for soil fertility and plant growth. Vermicompost enhances soil biodiversity by promoting the beneficial microbes which inturn enhances plant growth directly by production of plant growth-regulating hormones and enzymes and indirectly by controlling plant pathogens, nematodes and other pests, thereby enhancing plant health and minimizing the yield loss. Due to its innate biological, biochemical and physiochemical properties, vermicompost may be used to promote sustainable agriculture and also for the safe management of agricultural, industrial, domestic and hospital wastes which may otherwise pose serious threat to life and environment.

E-waste: a problem or an opportunity? Review of issues, challenges and solutions in Asian countries

Safe management of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste/WEEE) is becoming a major problem for many countries around the world. In particular, developing countries face a number of issues with the generation, transboundary movement and management of e-waste. It is estimated that the world generates around 20-50 million tonnes of e-waste annually, most of it from Asian countries. Improper handling of e-waste can cause harm to the environment and human health because of its toxic components. Several countries around the world are now struggling to deal with this emerging threat. Although the current emphasis is on end-of-life management of e-waste activities, such as reuse, servicing, remanufacturing, recycling and disposal, upstream reduction of e-waste generation through green design and cleaner production is gaining much attention. Environmentally sound management (ESM) of e-waste in developing countries is absent or very limited. Transboundary movement of e-waste is a major issue throughout the region. Dealing with the informal recycling sector is a complex social and environmental issue. There are significant numbers of such challenges faced by these countries in achieving ESM of e-waste. This article aims to present a review of challenges and issues faced by Asian countries in managing their e-waste in a sustainable way.

Medical waste management at the Oncology Institute of Vojvodina: possibilities of successful implementation of medical waste regulation in Serbia

Implementation of National waste management strategy, which included most of Healthcare facilities (HCF) in Serbia, began in 2009. The present study aimed to evaluate the medical waste management strategy protocol at Oncology Institute of Vojvodina, which is the first institution in Vojvodina and one of the first institutions in Serbia which has implemented the recomended medical waste management protocol. Segregation, storage, transportation and treatment were all evaluated and that was all performed according to National strategy. Biohazard generation rate was 0,17 kg/bed/day, which correspods with values in the HCF in Eastern Europe. The results show that the methods for safe management of medical waste are acceptable, affordable, and economically justifable to accomplish the reduction in the financial costs in HCF business, and can serve as representative of proper medical waste management practice for other HCF.

1. Nuclear Energy

The year 2012 was one of development for nuclear waste management policy. New plans and applications have been submitted in a number of countries (detailed later in this report), and the expectation therefore will be that within the next three years new legislation will emerge. It should be noted that in Europe the Euratom Directive 2011/70 Establishing a Community Framework for the Responsible and Safe Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste requires member states to notify the Commission of their national nuclear waste management programs by August 2015. A joint report entitled International Structure for Decommissioning Costing (ISDC) of Nuclear Installations was produced in 2012 by the Directorate-General for Energy (DG-ENER) of the European Commission, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The project was co-ordinated by the Decommissioning Cost Estimation Group of the NEA. In essence, this report replaces the yellow book that was published in 1999 (formally titled Nuclear Decommissioning: A Proposed Standardised List of Items for Costing Purposes). While several countries were using the 1999 yellow book, it was not in universal use. To gain more universal adoption, the new report provides more guidance on applying standardized cost structures to different types of cost estimates in order to promote more uniformity in estimations across users.

Safe injection practice (Safe-1 program)

WHO defines Safe Injection, as an injection that does no harm to recipients; does not expose the health care worker to any risk; and does not result in waste that is dangerous for the community. In India, 300 crore injections are given in an year out of which 180 crore are unsafe; diseases transmitted through unsafe injection practices include hepatitis B: 21million, hepatitis C: 2 million, and HIV-AIDS: 3 lakhs per year. Safe–I is a joint initiative of Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) and Becton Dickison, India aimed at ensuring safety of the healthcare workers by safe biomedical waste management.

Legal Analysis of Rights Against the Protection of ‘Bio-Medical Waste’ and Judicial Reflections in India

This article attempted to cover the environmental jurisprudence and its correlation with the ‘right to health’ and ‘right to safe environment’. It gives specific emphasis upon the need of the mechanism for safe handling and management of bio-medical waste which have created the greatest to these rights enshrine in the Constitution of India u/Art 21. It further analyses the handling and managements of bio-medical waste from the point of view of International standards, lack of national policy and a pathetic situation in India. It further analyses the legal liabilities clauses developed and discussed in various judicial pronouncements, and emphasis upon the bio-medical waste management will also need to take on priority so that both environmental safeguard from bio-medical waste and public health due to the infectious and contagious effect may be safeguards. Ultimately it stresses the need of comprehensive national policy, renovation of existing machineries and a fresh looks towards the existing framework to making objectives into reality with respect to bio-medical waste management and give due regards to right to health and safe environment of the citizenries.

Attitudes to biomedical waste management

Context: Awareness of safe waste management practices among the health care community is crucial. Objective: To assess the knowledge and attitude of nurses and paramedical staff towards biomedical waste management. Materials and methods: A total of 819 respondents were interviewed in ratio of: nurses (514); operating theatre (OT) technicians (63); laboratory technicians (76); and housekeeping staff (166). The tool used was a semi-structured questionnaire with questions on awareness and attitude towards biomedical waste management. Statistical analysis: SPSS version 11.5 was used, Chi-square test was carried out, and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The respondents’ awareness on waste management being conducted in the hospital was 100%. This response was similar in terms of awareness of facilities present in hospital for segregation and removal of waste, but only 88% of housekeeping staff knew about it, compared with 100% in the other three groups. When asked whether safe management of health care waste is an extra burden on their usual work, 76% of the laboratory staff responded positively, followed by 71% of OT staff, 67% of housekeeping staff and 47% of nurses. The responses were found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: Nursing professionals had an edge over the other staff regarding awareness of waste management, which can be attributed to their accountability and commitment in ward management. The OT technicians, laboratory and housekeeping staff had comparatively less understanding of the subject, but had a more positive attitude.

Geomicrobiological Redox Cycling of the Transuranic Element Neptunium

Microbial processes can affect the environmental behavior of redox sensitive radionuclides, and understanding these reactions is essential for the safe management of radioactive wastes. Neptunium, an alpha-emitting transuranic element, is of particular importance because of its long half-life, high radiotoxicity, and relatively high solubility as Np(V)O(2)(+) under oxic conditions. Here, we describe experiments to explore the biogeochemistry of Np where Np(V) was added to oxic sediment microcosms with indigenous microorganisms and anaerobically incubated. Enhanced Np removal to sediments occurred during microbially mediated metal reduction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed this was due to reduction to poorly soluble Np(IV) on solids. In subsequent reoxidation experiments, sediment-associated Np(IV) was somewhat resistant to oxidative remobilization. These results demonstrate the influence of microbial processes on Np solubility and highlight the critical importance of radionuclide biogeochemistry in nuclear legacy management.

Protecting at risk cadres of health workers from medical transmission of HIV and Hepatitis B and C through injection safety interventions

Background The Making Medical Injection Safer (MMIS) project funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief implemented by the Ministries of Health and John Snow Inc. aimed to improve injection safety and healthcare waste management practices in eleven countries between 2004 and 2009. MMIS engaged in training and capacity building for healthcare workers, including waste handlers, as well as commodity and logistics support, behavior change communications, and advocacy for safe injection and waste management policies. Waste handlers are considered a highly vulnerable and somewhat ignored group in the infection control chain. Injuries from contaminated needles are a primary route through which blood borne pathogens such as HIV, hepatitis B and C are transmitted in healthcare settings. Percent of reported needlestick injuries, immunization against hepatitis B, and knowledge of disease transmission are key indicators related to occupational safety for waste handlers.

Use of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and vermicompost in the processing and safe management of hazardous solid and liquid wastes with high metal contents

Two feasibility studies using the earthworm (Eisenia fetida) and vermicompost in the processing and remediation of solid and liquid wastes with high metal content are presented: vermicompost as adsorbent substrate for remediation of wastewaters contaminated with metals; earthworms for remediation of arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in landfill soils. The feasibility of vermicompost for the remediation of nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), vanadium (V) and lead (Pb) in wastewater is demonstrated. The earthworm (Eisenia fetida) allows the removal of As and Hg from landfill soils with an efficiency of 42-72% in 15 days for As and 7.5-30.2% for Hg.

Hospital Workers' Awareness of Health and Environmental Impacts of Poor Clinical Waste Disposal in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Due to the infectious nature of some clinical waste, poor disposal practices have sparked concern regarding the impact on public health and the environment. Lack of sufficient knowledge of the associated risks may be a strong factor contributing to inadequate disposal practices. We conducted a survey to evaluate hospital workers' awareness of health and environmental impacts of poor clinical waste disposal in Cameroon. We randomly distributed 500 questionnaires to hospital workers in three hospitals in the Northwest Region of Cameroon in April 2008. In addition, we observed collection, segregation, transportation, and disposal of clinical waste at the three hospitals. Of 475 total respondents, most lacked sufficient awareness of any environmental or public health impacts of poor clinical waste disposal and had never heard of any policy--national or international--on safe clinical waste management. Methods of collecting, segregating, transporting and disposing clinical waste at the three hospitals was poor. The development of a comprehensive policy on efficient clinical waste management in Cameroon is imperative.

ANIMAL WASTE MANAGEMENT – A PRACTICAL SOLUTION

Management of animal waste, originating from agriculture and food production, has to be disposed in a safe, financially justified manner and practical solutions which are in accordance to EU regulations, have to be applied. According to the Regulation (EC) No 1774/2002 animal waste is categorized in three categories. Categorization of the waste is a precondition for proper and harmless treatment of waste from the aspect of public health and protection of the environment. The first category consists of dangerous matters that are disposed in an incinerator at 1200oC. The second and third category may be used in processing or in production of biogas and compost, but according to the prescribed procedures. This paper presents a practical solution in processing of animal waste of all three categories: building a composting facility and an incinerator. The composting facility consists of covered concrete plateau, boxes for composting, area for keeping the compost, roads for mechanization, premises for maintaining hygiene of workers, space for incinerator and a fence with a gate. This facility should be built according to the previously designed construction project. Safe management of animal waste is, according to this suggestion, possible because biodegradation is carried out by the help of commercial heterotrophic microorganisms and plants distributed in layers. Compost, originating from the litter on farms, is mixed with the compost that originates from animal waste. The obtained compost has to be analyzed on pathogen microorganisms and pedology composition and than used in crop production. It was concluded that this way of animal waste is safe, financially justified and according to the European regulations.

WOLSONG LOW- AND INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL CENTER: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES

In this paper, we discuss the experiences during the preparation of the Wolsong Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center. These experiences have importance as a first implementation for the national LILW disposal facility in the Republic of Korea. As for the progress, it relates to the area of selected disposal site, the disposal site characteristics, waste characteristics of the disposal facility, safety assessment, and licensing process. During these experiences, we also discuss the necessity for new organization and change for a radioactive waste management system. Further effort for the safe management of radioactive waste needs to be pursued.

Knowledge management for radioactive waste management organisations

Starting in 2006, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) developed a guidance publication on knowledge management for radioactive waste management organisations. The publication is part of the IAEA Nuclear Energy Document Series at the level of Report. The purpose of the document was to provide guidance to the full range of decision makers (in both the public and private sectors) on planning, implementing and sustaining the critical nuclear and institutional knowledge needed for the safe and efficient management of radioactive waste. The guidance covers salient aspects of managing tacit, implicit and explicit knowledge, both in documented (record) form and as skills and experiences in human beings. It addresses information management, human resources, technical competence management, primary and continuing education, stakeholder involvement, management systems and approaches and knowledge analysis and integration.

Vermicomposting of garbage: a new technology for solid waste management in Hindu temples

In India, at most of the religious places, a huge tonnage of solid waste is generated due to worshipping. This study reports the transformation of organic fraction of Temple Solid Waste (TSW) spiked with Cow Dung (CD) into a value-added product (vermicompost). Vermicomposting resulted in lowering of pH, EC, C : N ratio, C : P ratio and increase in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contents. The worms grew and reproduced favourably in 80% CD + 20% TSW and 70% CD + 30% TSW feed mixtures also. These experiments demonstrate that vermicomposting can be an efficient technology for environmentally safe management of temple solid waste.

Medical waste management in Ibadan, Nigeria: Obstacles and prospects

Quantification and characterization of medical waste generated in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in a developing African nation has been conducted to provide insights into existing waste collection and disposal approaches, so as to provide sustainable avenues for institutional policy improvement. The study, in Ibadan city, Nigeria, entailed a representative classification of nearly 400 healthcare facilities, from 11 local government areas (LGA) of Ibadan, into tertiary, secondary, primary, and diagnostic HCFs, of which, 52 HCFs were strategically selected. Primary data sources included field measurements, waste sampling and analysis and a questionnaire, while secondary information sources included public and private records from hospitals and government ministries. Results indicate secondary HCFs generate the greatest amounts of medical waste (mean of 10,238 kg/day per facility) followed by tertiary, primary and diagnostic HCFs, respectively. Characterised waste revealed that only approximately 3% was deemed infectious and highlights opportunities for composting, reuse and recycling. Furthermore, the management practices in most facilities expose patients, staff, waste handlers and the populace to unnecessary health risks. This study proffers recommendations to include (i) a need for sustained cooperation among all key actors (government, hospitals and waste managers) in implementing a safe and reliable medical waste management strategy, not only in legislation and policy formation but also particularly in its monitoring and enforcement and (ii) an obligation for each HCF to ensure a safe and hygienic system of medical waste handling, segregation, collection, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal, with minimal risk to handlers, public health and the environment.