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Hospitals generate large amount of dangerous waste. If not managed properly, these dangerous wastes can threat to the public safety. Proper management of chemicals and wastes can help prevent serious consequences of these hazardous wastes. During the service to humanity hospitals release large amount of waste, and the quantum of these waste material depend on the strength of that particular nursing home. Some hospitals or pathological laboratory wastes may contain toxic chemicals, like mercury, xylene and formalin. Due to the morbid population hospitals and diagnostic centers are fast increasing in the country and these are providing medical services to a greater number of people. During these medical services the use bandages, syringes, human tissues, used culture media containing microorganisms are dumped in the open bins on the roadsides or low lying area or directed into the water bodies (Dwivedi et al., 2006). A biomedical waste which is hazardous in nature is potentially capable for the transmission of communicable diseases.
All waste materials which is generated by hospitals are not hazardous in nature but only a part of these wastes are infectious which is laden with fatal microorganisms of many serious contagious diseases, which easily spread into is true that health facilities are highly advanced, now days, but with the increasing health facilities many modern incurable diseases are also approaching. Previously, when professional health care centers were not popular then the treatment totally depended on medicinal plants, which is presently known as herbal treatment. Those herbal treatments had short comings of being insufficient for severe diseases. But, owing to this natural treatment the pollution rate was also low. Presently, in modern era for treatment of these diseases many advanced type of drugs and medicines, which are made up of highly toxic substances are recommended, these are carcinogenic and cytotoxic in nature if not handled safely (Dwivedi et al., 2006). Now a day, to overcome these biomedical hazardous waste disposal problems, many rule and regulations have been formulated.
Every coin has two sides, so is here in the case of hospitals also. Nowadays, due to the population explosion generation of biomedical waste is in a voluminous amount. Proper management and handling of these huge amounts of hazardous waste are of prime importance today. To minimize these problems many efforts have been done or are being done at the international level. For safe and scientific management of biomedical waste, handling, segregation, mutilation, disinfection, storage, transportation and finally disposal are vital steps for any health care institution. In developed countries these vital steps are being adopted byall the institutions related to the health problem (Acharya and Singh, 2000).
The minimization and effective management of biomedical waste is through identification and segregation of the hazardous waste. To tackle the problem of identification of biomedical waste different types of colour code plastic bags or containers are used which is the most appropriate way (Dwivedi et al., 2008). Sharps should be collected in puncture proof bags or containers. Highly infectious waste is to be sterilized before dumping with general waste. Needles and syringes are to be destroyed with the help of needle destroyer and syringe cutters at the point of generation. All disposable plastics should be subjected to shredding before disposing off to vendor. The ultimate treatment practices of biomedical waste are incineration, autoclaving, hydroclaving or microwaving.