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Title: Hazardous medical waste generation rates of different categories of health-care facilities

Abstract

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We calculated hazardous medical waste generation rates (HMWGR) from 132 hospitals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Based on a 22-month study period, HMWGR were highly skewed to the right. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The HMWGR varied from 0.00124 to 0.718 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A positive correlation existed between the HMWGR and the number of hospital beds. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We used non-parametric statistics to compare rates among hospital categories. - Abstract: Goal of this work was to calculate the hazardous medical waste unit generation rates (HMWUGR), in kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, using data from 132 health-care facilities in Greece. The calculations were based on the weights of the hazardous medical wastes that were regularly transferred to the sole medical waste incinerator in Athens over a 22-month period during years 2009 and 2010. The 132 health-care facilities were grouped into public and private ones, and, also, into seven sub-categories, namely: birth, cancer treatment, general, military, pediatric, psychiatric and university hospitals. Results showed that there is a large variability in the HMWUGR, even among hospitals of the same category. Average total HMWUGR varied from 0.012 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the public psychiatric hospitals, to up to 0.72 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, formore » the public university hospitals. Within the private hospitals, average HMWUGR ranged from 0.0012 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the psychiatric clinics, to up to 0.49 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the birth clinics. Based on non-parametric statistics, HMWUGR were statistically similar for the birth and general hospitals, in both the public and private sector. The private birth and general hospitals generated statistically more wastes compared to the corresponding public hospitals. The infectious/toxic and toxic medical wastes appear to be 10% and 50% of the total hazardous medical wastes generated by the public cancer treatment and university hospitals, respectively.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Laboratory of Solid and Hazardous Waste Management, Dept. of Environmental Engineering, Democritus University of Thrace, Xanthi 671 00 (Greece)
  2. Hellenic Open University, Patras (Greece)
  3. APOTEFROTIRAS S.A., Ano Liossia, 192 00 Elefsina (Greece)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21612995
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Waste Management
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 32; Journal Issue: 7; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2012.02.015; PII: S0956-053X(12)00075-X; Copyright (c) 2012 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0956-053X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; COMBUSTION; GREECE; HAZARDOUS MATERIALS; HOSPITALS; STATISTICS; TOXICITY; WASTE INCINERATORS; WASTES; BUILDINGS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; DEVELOPING COUNTRIES; EUROPE; INCINERATORS; INDUSTRIAL PLANTS; MATERIALS; MATHEMATICS; MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENTS; OXIDATION; THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES; WASTE PROCESSING PLANTS; WESTERN EUROPE

Citation Formats

Komilis, Dimitrios, Fouki, Anastassia, and Papadopoulos, Dimitrios. Hazardous medical waste generation rates of different categories of health-care facilities. United States: N. p., 2012. Web. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2012.02.015.
Komilis, Dimitrios, Fouki, Anastassia, & Papadopoulos, Dimitrios. Hazardous medical waste generation rates of different categories of health-care facilities. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.02.015
Komilis, Dimitrios, Fouki, Anastassia, and Papadopoulos, Dimitrios. 2012. "Hazardous medical waste generation rates of different categories of health-care facilities". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2012.02.015.
@article{osti_21612995,
title = {Hazardous medical waste generation rates of different categories of health-care facilities},
author = {Komilis, Dimitrios and Fouki, Anastassia and Papadopoulos, Dimitrios},
abstractNote = {Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We calculated hazardous medical waste generation rates (HMWGR) from 132 hospitals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Based on a 22-month study period, HMWGR were highly skewed to the right. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The HMWGR varied from 0.00124 to 0.718 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A positive correlation existed between the HMWGR and the number of hospital beds. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We used non-parametric statistics to compare rates among hospital categories. - Abstract: Goal of this work was to calculate the hazardous medical waste unit generation rates (HMWUGR), in kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, using data from 132 health-care facilities in Greece. The calculations were based on the weights of the hazardous medical wastes that were regularly transferred to the sole medical waste incinerator in Athens over a 22-month period during years 2009 and 2010. The 132 health-care facilities were grouped into public and private ones, and, also, into seven sub-categories, namely: birth, cancer treatment, general, military, pediatric, psychiatric and university hospitals. Results showed that there is a large variability in the HMWUGR, even among hospitals of the same category. Average total HMWUGR varied from 0.012 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the public psychiatric hospitals, to up to 0.72 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the public university hospitals. Within the private hospitals, average HMWUGR ranged from 0.0012 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the psychiatric clinics, to up to 0.49 kg bed{sup -1} d{sup -1}, for the birth clinics. Based on non-parametric statistics, HMWUGR were statistically similar for the birth and general hospitals, in both the public and private sector. The private birth and general hospitals generated statistically more wastes compared to the corresponding public hospitals. The infectious/toxic and toxic medical wastes appear to be 10% and 50% of the total hazardous medical wastes generated by the public cancer treatment and university hospitals, respectively.},
doi = {10.1016/j.wasman.2012.02.015},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21612995}, journal = {Waste Management},
issn = {0956-053X},
number = 7,
volume = 32,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012},
month = {Sun Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2012}
}