Maybe at one point or another, the question – why the need for professional medical waste disposal services Philadelphia Pennsylvania? – might have popped up in your mind. Well, there are more reasons than one which you’ll eventually read about. But before then, here are some things you should know about medical wastes.
Types Of Medical Waste
There are different types of medical wastes, and this directly affects the way they are treated and disposed. The types are as listed below
- Pathological: this includes blood and bodily fluids, tissues, body parts, organs, animal carcasses and human fetuses.
- PharmaceuticalWaste: includes all unused, expired or contaminated pharmaceutical products. Also includes drugs, vaccines and any associated items used in administering them such as gloves, masks and vials or bottles.
- Sharps: this covers all items that can cut or pierce the skin. Examples include hypodermic needles, scalpel, broken glass, epi pen and other blades.
- Radioactive: wastes that include radioactive substances like unused liquids from radiotherapy or laboratory research
- GenotoxicWaste: wastes under this category are to be handled with extra caution as they may contain mutagenic, teratogenic or carcinogenic properties which makes them highly dangerous.
- InfectiousWaste: this covers all items suspected of containing any amount of pathogen that can result in a spread of disease.
Who Creates Them?
Medical wastes as the name implies usually results from medical activities. Other times however, they can come from biological activities or from facilities that caters for old people.
A shortlist of facilities that generate medical waste would include hospitals, nursing homes, dental offices, veterinary offices, medical research laboratories, funeral homes amongst others.
The Dangers They Pose
Improperly handled medical wastes pose more threats to people’s health than you might imagine. Sometimes, the type of dangers they pose can be dependent on the type of waste in question. Hazardous waste for instance can result in the spread of harmful microorganisms. It could also expose a person to radiation burns, poisoning or pollution.
Sharps on the other hands can become health hazards if not properly contained, as they could pierce the bag they are placed in and pierce an unsuspecting person. Such sharps may be carrying infected blood or bodily fluids thus compromising the health of whoever it pierces.
Also, generally, ill-treated and improperly disposed medical wastes might find their ways into drinking water sources, contaminate them and cause widespread problems for the affected environment.
Why Hire Professionals?
Having considered the dangers above, you would likely agree that there is too much at stake for you to place the handling and disposal of your medical waste in the hands of unprofessional. Doing so not only opens the affected environment to several health-related risks, it might also open up your business to a world of hurt in terms of fines and lawsuits it might face.
