Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

Transcription

1 Safe management of wastes from health-care activities Second edition Edited by Yves Chartier, Jorge Emmanuel, Ute Pieper, Annette Prüss, Philip Rushbrook, Ruth Stringer, William Townend, Susan Wilburn and Raki Zghondi

2 Safe management of wastes from health-care activities 2nd edition

3 WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Safe management of wastes from health-care activities / edited by Y. Chartier et al. 2nd ed. 1.Medical waste. 2.Waste management. 3.Medical waste disposal methods. 4.Safety management. 5.Handbook. I.Chartier, Yves. II.Emmanuel, Jorge. III.Pieper, Ute. IV.Prüss, Annette. V.Rushbrook, Philip. VI.Stringer, Ruth. VII.Townend, William. VIII.Wilburn, Susan. IX.Zghondi, Raki. X.World Health Organization. ISBN (NLM classification: WA 790) World Health Organization 2014 All rights reserved. Publications of the World Health Organization (WHO) are available on the WHO web site ( or can be purchased from WHO Press, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (tel.: ; fax: ; bookorders@who.int). Requests for permission to reproduce or translate WHO publications whether for sale or for non-commercial distribution should be addressed to WHO Press through the WHO web site ( The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. All reasonable precautions have been taken by WHO to verify the information contained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lies with the reader. In no event shall the WHO be liable for damages arising from its use. The named editors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication. Declarations of interest The members of the health-care waste-management working group completed the WHO standard form for declaration of interests prior to the meeting. At the start of the meeting, all participants were asked to confirm their interests, and to provide any additional information relevant to the subject matter of the meeting. It was from this working group that chapter authors and lead editors were selected. None of the members declared current or recent (<1 year) financial interests related to commercial organizations. Two members declared consultation contracts for work relevant to the subject matter of the meeting. Bill Townend: Consultant for two industry nongovernment organizations, one of which the International Solid Waste Association is a nongovernmental organization in official relations with WHO, and provided technical and financial support for the publication. Ute Pieper: Consultant in health-care waste management in projects financed by international agencies, development banks and bilateral government agreements. These interests were not considered to give rise to a conflict with the aims of the meeting and the publication arising from the meeting and formed the basis of the expertise of the panel. The following participants were adjudged to have no potentially conflicting interests in the subject matter of the meeting, based on their completed declarations: Jorge Emmanuel, Philip Rushbrook and Ruth Stringer. Cover images (from top to bottom): tacartoons Dreamstime.com; Jorge Emmanuel; J. Emmanuel; Sudok1 Dreamstime.com; J. Emmanuel; Global Methane Initiative (GMI) program; J. Emmanuel Technical editing and design by Biotext, Australia Printed in Malta

4 Contents Foreword to the first edition...xiii Acknowledgements...xv Acronyms and abbreviations...xvii 1 Introduction Definition and characterization of health-care waste General definition and classification Sharps waste Infectious waste Pathological waste Pharmaceutical waste, including genotoxic waste Chemical waste Radioactive waste Non-hazardous general waste Sources of health-care waste Generation of health-care waste Physicochemical characteristics Minimum approach to overall management of health-care waste Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Risks associated with health-care waste Overview of hazards Types of hazards Persons at risk Hazards from infectious waste and sharps Hazards from chemical and pharmaceutical waste Hazards from genotoxic waste Hazards from radioactive waste Hazards from health-care waste-treatment methods Public sensitivity Public health impact Impacts of infectious waste and sharps Impacts of chemical and pharmaceutical waste Impacts of genotoxic waste Impacts of radioactive waste Survival of pathogenic microorganisms in the environment The need for further research and epidemiological surveys References and further reading Legislative, regulatory and policy aspects of health-care waste Importance of a national policy Guiding principles International agreements and conventions The Basel Convention...42 iii

5 4.3.2 The Bamako Convention The Stockholm Convention The environment and sustainable development conferences United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Aarhus Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Available guidance World Health Organization Guidance The International Solid Waste Association ISWA policy document on health-care waste management National legislation Technical guidelines Minimum approach to developing health-care waste-management policy Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Health-care waste-management planning The need for planning National plans Purpose of a national health-care waste-management plan Action plan for developing a national programme Waste-management plan for a health-care facility Assignment of responsibilities Management structure, liaison arrangements and duties Assessment of waste generation Development of a hospital waste-management plan Implementation of the waste-management plan Minimum approach to planning Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Health-care waste minimization, reuse and recycling The waste-management hierarchy Waste minimization Environmentally preferable purchasing Green procurement Recycling symbols for plastics Safe reuse Recycling and recovery Environmental management systems Minimum approach to waste minimization Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Segregation, storage and transport of health-care waste Guiding principles Segregation systems Waste containers, colour codes and labels Beyond basic segregation...82 iv Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

6 7.2.3 Waste containers: specifications and siting Setting and maintaining segregation standards Collection within the health-care facility Interim storage in medical departments Onsite transport of waste General requirements Transport trolleys Routing Central storage inside health-care facilities General requirements Hazardous waste storage Layout of waste-storage areas Documentation of the operation of storage places Offsite transport of waste Logistic staff Vehicle requirements Labelling of the transport vehicle Cleaning of container and vehicle Transport documentation Minimum approach to segregation, storage and transport Desirable improvements to the minimal approach References and further reading Treatment and disposal methods Selection of treatment methods Overview of waste-treatment technologies Thermal processes Chemical processes Irradiation technologies Biological processes Mechanical processes Suitability of treatment methods for infectious waste Steam treatment technologies Autoclaves Integrated steam-based treatment systems Microwave treatment technologies Dry-heat treatment technologies Chemical treatment technologies Internal shredding of waste Chemical disinfectants Microbial resistance Alkaline hydrolysis Incineration Combustion Pyrolysis and gasification Required waste characteristics Energy recovery Types of incinerators for health-care waste Contents v

7 8.8.6 Environmental control of incinerators Dust removal Encapsulation and inertization Emerging technologies Applications of treatment and disposal methods to specific waste categories Sharps Anatomical waste, pathological waste, placenta waste and contaminated animal carcasses Pharmaceutical waste Cytotoxic waste Chemical waste Waste containing heavy metals Land disposal Municipal and other external disposal sites Minimum approach to treatment and disposal Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Collection and disposal of wastewater Characteristics of health-care wastewater Hazards of wastewater from health-care facilities Wastewater-related diseases Hazards from liquid chemicals in wastewater Hazards from pharmaceuticals in wastewater Hazards from radioactive substances Quantity of wastewater Quality of wastewater by hospital department Collection and pretreatment of liquid health-care waste Sewerage systems for health-care facilities Pretreatment of hazardous liquids Discharge into municipal sewage systems Onsite wastewater treatment Wastewater-treatment systems Disinfection of wastewater Disposal of sludge Emerging technologies Reuse of wastewater and sludge Offsite treatment and disposal in specialized facilities Operation and monitoring of sewerage systems Operation and maintenance of wastewater systems Monitoring of wastewater systems Minimum approach to wastewater management Sanitation system Minimal liquid hazardous waste-management system Basic wastewater-treatment systems Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading vi Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

8 10 Economics of health-care waste management Guiding principles Cost elements Costs at a health-care facility level Costs at a central treatment facility level Costs at a national level Cost estimation Cost and financing Methods of financing Costing tools Pricing models for a treatment provider Recommendations for cost reductions Minimum approach to health-care waste management costing Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Health and safety practices for health-care personnel and waste workers Guiding principles Occupational health risks Health hazards Cytotoxic safety Exposure prevention and control Hierarchy of controls (applied to bloodborne pathogens) Dealing with spillages Reporting accidents and incidents Protective equipment Occupational post-exposure prophylaxis Training Minimum approaches to health and safety practices Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Hospital hygiene and infection control Guiding principles Chain of infection Epidemiology of nosocomial infections Transition from exposure to infection Sources of infection Routes of transmission Prevention of nosocomial infections Standard precautions Isolation of infected patients and standard precautions Cleaning Sterilization and disinfection Hand hygiene Measures for improving infection control Minimum approach to hygiene and infection control Desirable improvements to the minimum approach References and further reading Contents vii

9 13 Training, education and public awareness Importance of training and education Education and training of health-care personnel Planning and implementation Employees to be trained Content of education programmes Follow-up and refresher courses Training responsibility Implementation of a training course The training package Selection of participants Training health-care waste handlers Health-care personnel Cleaning staff Staff who transport waste Treatment plant operators Landfill operators Integrating training with public education on risks of health-care waste Minimum approach to training, education and public awareness Desirable improvements to the minimum approach Improvements to the minimum approach Improvements to more advanced approaches References and further reading Health-care waste management in emergencies Guiding principles Phases for the safe management of health-care waste in emergencies Phase one: rapid initial assessment Phase two: emergency response Phase three: recovery phase Contingency planning and emergency preparedness References and further reading Future issues Changing patterns of disease Emerging diseases and multidrug-resistant organisms Pandemics Environmental issues Climate change Other environmental issues Waste technology Social, cultural and regulatory changes References and further reading viii Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

10 Annex 1 Contributors to the first edition Annex 2 Example training programmes in health-care waste management Annex 3 Chemical destruction methods for cytostatic drugs Annex 4 Clearance levels for radioactive waste Annex 5 Accidental contamination by mutagenic and carcinogenic products Annex 6 Disposal of pathological waste Glossary Tables Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Categories of health-care waste...4 Chemical waste from health-care activities...7 Table 2.3 Examples of health-care waste from different sources...12 Table 2.4 Table 2.5 Table 2.6 Table 2.7 Table 2.8 Table 2.9 Table 2.10 Table 3.1 Table 3.2 Table 3.3 Table 5.1 Daily data-collection form...14 Total and infectious waste generation by type of health-care facility (Pakistan, Tanzania, South Africa)...17 Total and infectious waste generation by type of health-care facility: high-income country (United States of America)...18 Bulk densities of health-care waste by components...18 Average material composition of health-care waste...19 Moisture content (%) of health-care waste components...19 Heating value of health-care waste components...20 Potential infections caused by exposure to health-care wastes, causative organisms and transmission vehicles...27 Frequency of procedure that health-care workers were using at the moment of percutaneous injury, selected countries...32 Viral hepatitis B infections caused by occupational injuries from sharps (USA)...33 Sample sheet for assessing waste generation...62 Table 7.1 WHO-recommended segregation scheme...79 Table 7.2 Advantages and disadvantages of needle cutters/destroyers...83 Table 7.3 Table 8.1 Table 8.2 Table 10.1 Table 10.2 Table 10.3 Table 10.4 Table 10.5 Table 10.6 Table 10.7 Selected United Nations packaging symbols...97 Typical reaction conditions and products from pyrolysis, gasification and incineration processes Emission guidelines for health-care waste incinerators Estimated capital and operating costs for available treatment methods Investment costs for incinerators in Indonesia Investment costs for incinerators in Africa Investment costs for large central incinerators that meet international standards Investment costs for alternative treatment solutions Positive and negative effects of fixed pricing Positive and negative effects of variable pricing Table 11.1 Risk of transmission of infection following occupational exposure Table 11.2 Hazards to health-care waste workers Table 11.3 Table 12.2 Table 12.3 Table 14.1 Table 14.2 Table A2.1 Table A2.2 Table A2.3 Example of a list of items for spillage cleaning The main forms of hand hygiene Ways to improve infection control Segregation of health-care waste in emergencies Summary of pharmaceutical disposal methods in and after emergencies Programme of the Certificate Programme in Health Care Waste Management Schedule for WHO-Euro s three-day course on health-care waste management Content of the UNEP health-care waste-management training modules Contents ix

11 Table A3.1 Table A3.2 Table A4.1 Table A4.2 Table A4.3 Formulation of reconstituted and administration solutions of cytostatic drugs Efficiency of the degradation methods tested on 32 cytostatic drug formulations Generic clearance levels for solid waste Liquid discharge rates to sewers, rivers or other large water bodies Gaseous releases into the open air Figures Figure 2.1 Figure 2.2 Figure 2.3 Figure 2.4 Figure 5.1 Figure 5.2 Figure 6.1 Figure 7.1 Figure 7.2 Typical waste compositions in health-care facilities...3 Total and infectious waste generation in selected hospitals (kg per bed per day)...15 Total and infectious waste generation in selected hospitals (kg per occupied bed per day or kg per patient per day)...16 Total and infectious waste generation in small clinics, health centres and dispensaries (in kg per patient per day)...16 Action plan for national programme of sound health-care waste management...54 Hospital waste-management structure...58 The waste-management hierarchy...67 Biohazard, radiation and chemical hazard symbols...79 Comparison of common hazardous waste symbols...80 Figure 7.3 Cardboard safety boxes...84 Figure 7.4 Figure 7.5 Figure 7.6 Example of a waste-segregation poster...85 Examples of interim waste storage places...87 Medical waste transport trolleys outside a hospital in Thailand...88 Figure 7.7 Example of a health care facility site plan with waste collection points (yellow circles)...89 Figure 7.8 Figure 7.9 Figure 7.10 Figure 7.11 Example labels outside the storage facility...90 Example labels inside the storage facility...90 Label for a pathological waste storage room...91 Examples of storage places for chemical waste...93 Figure 7.12 Sketch of waste-storage area...94 Figure 7.14 Figure 7.15 Figure 7.16 Figure 7.17 Figure 8.1 Figure 8.2 Figure 8.3 Example of a vehicle used for transporting health-care waste in the United Kingdom...97 Specifications for placards (e.g. UN 3291 Infectious [Biomedical] Waste)...99 Example of consignment note for carriage and disposal of infectious waste Example of an emergency response intervention card Simplified schematic of a pre-vacuum autoclave Simplified schematic of batch and semicontinuous microwave technologies Simplified flow scheme of the incineration process Figure 8.4 Simplified schematic of a rotary kiln incinerator Figure 8.5 Figure 8.6 Figure 8.7 Figure 9.1 Figure 9.2 Figure 9.3 Figure 9.4 Figure 9.5 Sample design of a concrete sharps vault Routes of exposure to hazards caused by open dumping Example of a low-cost pit cover Deaths due to improper water and sanitation systems per 1000 population Improper disposal of photochemicals into the sewerage system Activated sludge wastewater-treatment system in a hospital in Sonla, Vietnam Horizontal reed bed system Basic hospital wastewater-treatment system with two treatment stages Figure 9.6 Sample of a septic tank Figure 9.7 Figure 11.1 Basic lagooning system at a hospital Recommended protective clothing for health-care waste transportation in small hospitals in Thailand Figure 12.1 The spread of nosocomial infections Figure 12.2 Aide memoir for standard precautions in health care x Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

12 Figure 12.3 Figure 12.4 Figure 14.1 Figure 14.2 Hand hygiene technique with alcohol-based formulation Hand washing technique with soap and water Construction of a pit for onsite waste burial Special cells or trenches for disposal of biocontaminated wastes in a municipal dumping site (10 m long, 3 m wide and 2 m deep) Figure 14.3 Double-chamber incinerator in a health-care centre dumping site Figure 15.1 Anticipated extension in the range of malaria in Figure A3.1 Figure A3.2 Figure A3.3 Figure A3.4 Figure A3.5 Figure A3.6 Figure A3.7 Figure A3.8 Figure A3.9 Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of doxorubicin or daunorubicin Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of methotrexate or dichloromethotrexate using potassium permanganate/sulfuric acid Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of methotrexate using aqueous alkaline potassium permanganate Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of methotrexate using aqueous sodium hypochlorite Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide using alkaline hydrolysis in the presence of dimethylformamide Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of cyclophosphamide using acid hydrolysis followed by addition of sodium thiosulfate and aqueous hydrolysis Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of vincristine sulfate and vinblastine sulfate Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of 6-tioguanine and 6-mercaptopurine Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of cisplatin by reduction with zinc powder Figure A3.10 Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of cisplatin by reaction with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate Figure A3.11 Schematic representation of procedure for destruction of procarbazine using potassium permanganate in sulfuric acid Figure A6.1 Figure A6.2 Figure A6.3 Boxes Example of a placenta pit A dome biogester A biogas plant Box 2.1 Common genotoxic products used in health care a...6 Box 2.2 Box 2.3 Box 2.4 Box 3.1 Box 3.2 Box 3.3 Box 3.4 Box 5.1 Box 5.2 Box 6.1 Box 6.2 Box 6.3 Box 6.4 Box 6.5 Box 6.6 Box 7.1 Common recyclable materials from health-care facilities...9 Major sources of health-care waste...9 Minor sources of health-care waste...10 Chain of infection...26 Health sector contribution of mercury in the environment...29 Cytotoxic drugs hazardous to eyes and skin...30 Occupational transmission of HIV in France and the United States of America...33 Parameters to be monitored by the waste-management officer...60 Details to include in the waste-management plan...63 Examples of practices that encourage waste minimization...68 Reuse of medical devices in Canada...70 Examples of sterilization methods for reusable items...71 Recycling at the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust...72 Recycling infectious waste in Nepal...72 Hospital food waste composting...73 Recommendations for storage facilities for health-care waste...89 Box 7.2 Decay storage of radioactive waste a sample calculation of decay storage time...94 Box 8.1 Box 8.2 Characteristics of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) as a chemical disinfectant Essential elements for the design and operation of sanitary landfills Contents xi

13 Box 10.1 Box 10.2 Costs of construction and operation of a health-care waste-treatment plant (incinerator, autoclave, microwave, etc.) Tools for estimating total costs of health-care waste management Box 11.1 Controls framework Box 11.2 Box 12.1 Box 13.1 Box 13.2 Box 13.3 Box 13.4 Box 13.5 Box 13.6 Box 13.7 Box 14.1 Example of general procedure for dealing with spillages Classification of pathogenic organisms Example of a training set-up Training tools examples (World Health Organization-related) Training health-care personnel Training cleaning staff Training waste-transport staff Training treatment plant operators Issues to address when training treatment plant operators Rapid initial assessment Box 14.2 Generic terms of reference for conducting a rapid initial assessment Box 14.3 Box 14.4 Box 15.1 Box 15.2 Box 15.3 Box 15.4 Box 15.5 Issues to remember when collecting information in emergencies Key points to address during a recovery phase Key points relating to changing disease patterns Key points relating to climate change Key points relating to environmental issues Key points relating to waste technology Key points relating to social, cultural and regulatory changes xii Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

14 Foreword to the first edition In pursuing their aims of reducing health problems and eliminating potential risks to people s health, health-care services inevitably create waste that may itself be hazardous to health. The waste produced in the course of healthcare activities carries a higher potential for infection and injury than any other type of waste. Wherever waste is generated, safe and reliable methods for its handling are therefore essential. Inadequate and inappropriate handling of health-care waste may have serious public health consequences and a significant impact on the environment. Sound management of health-care waste is thus a crucial component of environmental health protection. In both the short term and the long term, the actions involved in implementing effective health-care waste management programmes require multisectoral cooperation and interaction at all levels. Policies should be generated and coordinated globally, with the management practices implemented locally. Establishment of a national policy and a legal framework, training of personnel, and raising public awareness are essential elements of successful health-care waste management. Improved public awareness of the problem is vital in encouraging community participation in generating and implementing policies and programmes. Management of health-care waste should thus be put into a systematic, multifaceted framework, and should become an integral feature of health-care services. To achieve this aim, the World Health Organization (WHO), together with WHO s European Centre for Environment and Health in Nancy, France, set up an international working group (in 1995) to produce a practical guide, addressing particularly the problems of health-care waste management in developing countries. The group included representatives of the private sector involved in waste management activities and members of the public. This handbook, the result of their efforts, is intended to be comprehensive, yet concise, user-friendly and oriented towards practical management of health-care waste in local facilities. It provides guidelines for the responsible national and local administrators, and is the first publication to offer globally relevant advice on the management of health-care waste. The guidelines complement and supplement those produced in different regions in the past. WHO strongly encourages the widespread implementation of these guidelines and is ready to assist users in adapting them to national settings. This handbook has been prepared as a practical response to the need for improved health-care waste management, especially in developing countries. Continuing efforts are being made to refine this response, and feedback from users of the handbook would be appreciated. Comments and suggestions based on experience of this handbook s use may be sent to: Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization, Geneva 27, CH-1211, Switzerland. xiii

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16 Acknowledgements WHO wishes to express its appreciation to all whose efforts and valuable contributions made this production possible. In particular, WHO gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following international experts who contributed to and reviewed the handbook. Editorial Yves Chartier, WHO, Switzerland Jorge Emmanuel, UNDP GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project, United States of America Ute Pieper, ETLog Health GmbH, Germany Annette Prüss-Ustun, WHO, Switzerland Philip Rushbrook, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, United Kingdom Ruth Stringer, Health Care Without Harm, United Kingdom William King Townend, International Environmental Consultancy, United Kingdom Susan Wilburn, WHO, Switzerland Raki Zghondi, WHO Regional Centre for Environmental Health Activities, Jordan Authors Ashok Agarwal, IGNOU, India Franck Bouvet, UNICEF, Switzerland Yves Chartier, WHO, Switzerland Christopher Drew, Golder Consulting, United Kingdom Jorge Emmanuel, UNDP GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project, United States of America Ed Krisiunas, WNWN International, United States of America Jan-Gerd Kühling, ETLog Health GmbH, Germany Leo Leest, Management and Technical Solutions for Waste, the Netherlands Ute Pieper, ETLog Health GmbH, Germany Philip Rushbrook, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, United Kingdom Ruth Stringer, Health Care Without Harm, United Kingdom William King Townend, International Environmental Consultancy, United Kingdom Andrew Trevett, UNICEF, United States of America Susan Wilburn, WHO, Switzerland Raki Zghondi, WHO Regional Centre for Environmental Health Activities, Jordan Contributors Ashok Agarwal, IGNOU, India Franck Bouvet, UNICEF, Switzerland Yves Chartier, WHO, Switzerland Diego Daza, WHO, Colombia Jorge Emmanuel, UNDP GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project, United States of America xv

17 Shinee Enkhtsetseg, WHO, Germany Ed Krisiunas, WNWN International, United States of America Jan Gerd Kühling, ETLog Health GmbH, Germany Leo Leest, Management and Technical Solutions for Waste, the Netherlands Maria Mahon, GWB, United Kingdom Victoria Masembe, JSI, Uganda Nancy Muller, PATH, United States of America Mahesh Nakarmi, Health Care Foundation Nepal, Nepal Carib Nelson, PATH, United States of America Ute Pieper, ETLog Health GmbH, Germany Preethi Pratap, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, United States of America Joanie Roberston, PATH, Vietnam Marcia Rock, global health consultant, United States of America Philip Rushbrook, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, London, United Kingdom Dejana Selenic, CDC, United States of America Ruth Stringer, Health Care Without Harm, United Kingdom Ruma Tavorath, World Bank, India William King Townend, International Environmental Consultancy, United Kingdom Paul Williams, Consultant, United Kingdom Anne Woolridge, Independent Safety Services Ltd, United Kingdom Raki Zghondi, WHO Regional Centre for Environmental Health Activities, Jordan WHO wishes to acknowledge gratefully the secretarial support of Lesley Robinson and Saydy Karbaj to the development of this volume. WHO also gratefully acknowledges the experts who contributed to the first edition of this report (1999), whose names are listed in Annex 1. The development of this second edition was made possible with the financial support and collaboration of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the International Solid Waste Association, the GAVI Alliance and the French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. In memoriam The second edition of Safe management of wastes from health-care activities is dedicated to our distinguished colleague and dear friend Yves Chartier ( ), Public Health Engineer, who led the development of this work, and inspired involvement in and commitment to health-care waste management. Yves was the co-author of many WHO publications on environmental health in the health sector. This edition is also dedicated to our colleague Carib Nelson ( ), whose contributions consistently showed us a practical way through sound health-care waste management options. xvi Safe management of wastes from health-care activities

18 Acronyms and abbreviations ADR AIDS AOX ATSDR BAT BEP Blue Book CAT CDC CFU ClO 2 DEHP DNA ECAT EMS EPP GEF HBV HCl HCV HEPA HIV H 2 SO 4 IARC IGNOU ILO ISO ISWA MBR NaOCl NGO NHS PEP PET POP PPE PVC STAATT TB UN UNDP European agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road acquired immunodeficiency syndrome absorbable organic iodinated compounds United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry best available techniques best environmental practice shortened title for this handbook, Safe management of wastes from health-care activities cost-analysis tool Centers for Disease Control and Prevention colony forming unit chlorine dioxide diethylhexyl phthalate deoxyribonucleic acid expanded cost-analysis tool environmental management system environmentally preferable purchasing Global Environment Facility hepatitis B virus hydrochloric acid hepatitis C virus high-efficiency particulate air human immunodeficiency virus sulfuric acid International Agency for Research on Cancer Indira Gandhi National Open University International Labour Organization International Organization for Standardization International Solid Waste Association membrane biological reactors sodium hypochlorite nongovernmental organization National Health Service post-exposure prophylaxis polyethylene terephthalate (also known as PETE) persistent organic pollutants personal protective equipment polyvinyl chloride State and Territorial Association on Alternate Treatment Technologies tuberculosis United Nations United Nations Development Programme xvii

19 UNECE UNICEF UV WHO United Nations Economic Commission for Europe United Nations Children s Fund ultraviolet World Health Organization Safe management of wastes from health-care activities xviii

20 1 Introduction This is the second edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) handbook on the safe, sustainable and affordable management of health-care waste commonly known as the Blue Book. The original Blue Book was a comprehensive publication used widely in health-care centres and government agencies to assist in the adoption of national guidance. It also provided support to committed medical directors and managers to make improvements and presented practical information on waste-management techniques for medical staff and waste workers. The first edition in 1999 was published at an influential point in time. Public interest in emerging and developing countries to improve health services was growing, and poor waste practices within health-care facilities were being challenged increasingly by interest groups and communities. In the more developed countries, there was a renewed concern about consumption of resources and impacts on global changes to climate and the environment. In many countries, knowledge about the potential for harm from health-care wastes has now become more prominent to governments, medical practitioners and civil society. Increasingly, managers and medical staff are expected to take more responsibility for the wastes they produce from their medical care and related activities. The indiscriminate and erratic handling and disposal of waste within health-care facilities is now widely recognized as a source of avoidable infection, and is synonymous with public perception of poor standards of health care. It has been more than 10 years since the first edition of the Blue Book. During the intervening period, the requirements on generators of health-care wastes have evolved and new methods have become available. Consequently, WHO recognized that it was an appropriate time to update the original text. The purpose of the second edition is to expand and update the practical information in the original Blue Book. In June 2007, WHO held a workshop in Geneva with specialists from 31 countries. The specialists reviewed the Blue Book chapter by chapter and proposed new information to ensure the advice remains relevant to current demands on health-care facilities. During the following four years, every chapter was revised by authors from around the world. These authors gave their time voluntarily, and their drafts were extensively peer-reviewed before being edited into a final form. The new Blue Book is designed to continue to be a source of impartial health-care information and guidance on safe waste-management practices. The editors intention has been to keep the best of the original publication and supplement it with the latest relevant information. The audience for the Blue Book has expanded. Initially, the publication was intended for those directly involved in the creation and handling of health-care wastes: medical staff, health-care facility directors, ancillary health workers, infection-control officers and waste workers. This is no longer the situation. A wider range of people and organizations now have an active interest in the safe management of health-care wastes: regulators, policymakers, development organizations, voluntary groups, environmental bodies, environmental health practitioners, advisers, researchers and students. They should also find the new Blue Book of benefit to their activities. Chapters 2 and 3 explain the various types of waste produced from health-care facilities, their typical characteristics and the hazards these wastes pose to patients, staff and the general environment. Chapters 4 and 5 introduce the guiding regulatory principles for developing local or national approaches to tackling health-care waste management and transposing these into practical plans for regions and individual health-care facilities. Specific methods and technologies are described for waste minimisation, segregation and treatment of health-care wastes in Chapters 6, 7 and 8. These chapters introduce the basic features of each technology and the operational and environmental characteristics required to be achieved, followed by information on the potential advantages and disadvantages of each system. 1