Assessment and Design of Bio-Medical Waste Management System for a Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu
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International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438 Assessment and Design of Bio-Medical Waste Management System for a Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu Sofia.G Anna University, Department of Environment Engineering, MAM College Of Engineering, Trichy, India Abstract: Hospital waste is a mixture of general refuse, biomedical Laboratory and pathological wastes. Totally 75-90% of the waste produced by the health care provides non-risk health care waste. Whereas, the remaining 10- 25% consist of infectious pathological waste and is of great health concern, if not segregated from general hospital waste. This study was initiated to characterize solid and liquid wastes generated in healthcare institutions and to provide a framework for the safe management of these wastes. The project was carried at medical hospital. A waste audit carried out at these sites revealed approximately 10% of solid wastes was hazardous in nature, consisting mainly of infectious, pathological and chemical wastes. The average amount of hazardous wastes per patient per day was found to be 0.080-0.091kg. Hospital effluent not only has aberrant physico-chemical characteristics but also has high loads of multiple drug resistant bacteria and discharging the effluent in a municipal sewage system could be a grave public health hazard. Effluent treatment plant (ETP) with terminal chlorination needs to be added to safeguard the dangers from hospital effluent. However, most of the hospitals believe it to be an unaffordable proposal. The medical hospital is a 1100 bedded tertiary care centre spread over 26 acres of land with huge green belts, requiring 24.44MLD of water per day. The scarcity of water affected the hospital activities and irrigation of green belt. The ETP was setup at and the treated effluent has all the physico-chemical characteristics within the specified limits and is free from viable multiple drug resistant bacteria. The treated effluent water is used for irrigation and sanitary cleaning thus, the ETP has been proved to be eco-friendly cost effective proposal. Keywords: Solid Waste Composition, Waste Water Characteristics, Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) 1. Introduction pickers working at these dumpsites. Since most of these dumpsites are unscientifically managed, the chances of Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, pathogens contained in infectious waste becoming airborne or immunization of human beings or animals or in research and getting released to nearby water bodies or affecting the activities in these fields or in the production or testing of local resident population. biological. It may include wastes like sharps, soiled waste, disposables, anatomical waste, cultures, discarded 1.2 Objective for the Study medicines, chemical wastes, etc. These are in the form of disposable syringes, swabs, bandages, body fluids, human 1. Objective of the study is to investigate solid waste composition in Medical hospital. excreta, etc. This waste is highly infectious and can be a 2. To determine waste water characteristics of bio-medical serious threat to human health if not managed in a scientific liquid waste. and discriminate manner. It has been roughly estimated that 3. To design the effluent treatment plant design for Medical of the 4 kg of waste generated in a hospital at least 1 kg hospital. would be infectious. Surveys carried out by various agencies show that the health care establishments in India are not 2. Material and Method giving due attention to their waste management. After the notification of the Bio-medical Waste (Handling and A) Solid Waste Composition Management) Rules, 1998, hospitals are slowly streamlining the process of waste segregation, collection, treatment, and Sampling and Analysis: The collection of clinical waste disposal. samples and analysis were carried out in 2007. The waste characterization study was carried out in accordance with 1.1 Impact WHO guidelines (WHO 1999; WHO 2001). All of the wastes generated in the hospitals were segregated and Most biomedical waste generated from health care facilities weighed during a period of four month, manually. The are at present, collected without segregation into infectious environmental health experts as well as members of and non-infectious categories and are disposed in municipal nosocomial infection control committee of hospitals or bins located either inside or outside the facility premises. managers of waste transportation, collection and sorting, Sanitary workers pick this waste from here along with MSW recorded the amount of medical waste on the data form. The and transport and dispose it at municipal dumpsites. Since wastes from hospitals were collected from storage areas. The the infectious waste gets mixed with municipal solid waste, quantity and composition of the wastes were determined at it has potential to make the whole lot infectious in adverse each hospital. Parallel to the interviews, the physical environmental conditions. Moreover, biomedical waste also compositions of waste in hospitals were determined. Before contains sharp objects (scalpels, needles, broken segregation, the wastes were spread by disinfectant solution glasses/ampoules, etc.,) the disposal of which poses a risk of (0.5% sodium hypochlorite). Masks and large forceps were injury and exposure to infection to sanitary workers and rag used to segregate waste into several types. During Volume 4 Issue 6, June 2015 www.ijsr.net Paper ID: SUB155678 Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 1823 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2013): 4.438 segregation, each type of medical waste was discarded into A-Screens: The general purpose of screens is to remove bags. General and medical wastes from outpatient and large objects such as rags, paper, plastics, metals, and the inpatient services were collected separately. The weighing like. These objects, if not removed may damage the and analysis of wastes were performed in a special site. The pumping and sludge- removal equipment, hangover wires, and block valves, thus creating serious plant operation and medical wastes were previously sorted into various maintenance problems. components such as serum, syringe and needle etc. The weight of each component of the medical waste was B- Aerated Grit champers: It is used remove dust, bone chips, recorded on special data forms. Following these procedures, coffee grounds, seeds, eggshells, and other materials in the wastes were transported to a special site for storage and wastewater that are non putrescible and higher than organic final disposal. This waste composition study was part of a matter. By the air, wastewater is freshened, thus reduction in continuing effort to measure and understanding the waste odors and additional BOD5 R Removal may be achieved. generated in hospitals. The raw survey data was compiled and managed so as to enable the estimation of waste 2) Primary Treatment: It is including primary generation quantities and management practices. sedimentation the purpose of this unit is to remove the settle able organic solids. Normally a primary sedimentation will remove 50-70 percent total suspended solids and 30-40 Data analysis: The quantities of hospital wastes were presented in terms of kg/day for total amount of waste percent BOD5. generation. These data were used to determine the quantities 3) Biological Treatment (Secondary Treatment): The of waste generated in hospital. purpose of secondary treatment is to remove the soluble organics that escape the primary treatment and to provide Waste segregation study: Trash bins with coloring bags further removal of suspended solids. Although secondary were in placed in hospital wards for 24 h in selected wards, treatment may remove than 85 percent of the BOD and surgical units, emergency wards, operation theaters (where 5 suspended solids, it does not remove significant amount of not available). The waste was collected after an interval of nitrogen, phosphor heavy metals, no degradable organics, 12 h as the shift of nursing and paramedical staff switched. bacteria and viruses. These pollutants may require further Waste Generation Data was calculated based on weighing removal (advanced one). the waste on a manual scale (Shagufta, 1995; Zafar, 2002). 4) Advanced treatment: It is an additional treatment B) Waste Water Characteristics process, such as filtration, carbon adsorption, and chemical precipitation of phosphorus, to remove those constituents Sampling Method: The study was conducted on February that are not adequately removed in the secondary treatment 2015. To obtain the data of hospital wastewater plant. These include nitrogen, phosphorus, and other soluble characteristics, done taking the data directly and indirectly organic and inorganic compounds through library documents, SOP of WWTP, and sampling at the WWTP effluent at hospital at the time of maximum load a) Bar Screen Chamber: The function of the bar screen is of wastewater. Parameters measured include Biochemical to prevent entry of solid particles/ articles above a certain Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand size; such as plastic cups, paper dishes, polythene STP. (If (COD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), pH. Sample analysis these items are allowed to enter the STP, they clog and was done according to the standard methods (APHA, 1998) damage the STP pumps, and