What does infectious medical waste mean?

Infectious medical waste is one of the most dangerous types of waste generated by medical facilities and accounts for the majority of hazardous waste generated by the medical industry. By definition, any waste containing potentially dangerous microorganisms that could infect humans and/or animals can be considered infectious. Such waste is usually produced during the diagnosis and treatment of humans and animals infected with viruses or any other disease-causing organisms.

What is infectious medical waste?

1. Surgical tools

2. Anatomical wastes, such as blood, body fluids and human tissues

3. Chemical and medical waste

4. Cytotoxic drugs

5. Syringes, sharp object waste, bio-hazardous needle containers

6. Textile products, glassware, paper, plastics

What are the most common methods of handling infectious medical waste?

1. Sanitary landfills

Sanitary landfill is the final disposal method of medical waste. Its principle is to bury garbage underground and decompose it into harmless substances through long-term decomposition of microorganisms. If the landfill system of medical waste does not have anti-seepage measures, various toxic substances, pathogens and radioactive substances will infiltrate into the soil with rain, and harmful substances will enter the human body through the food chain, endangering human health.

2. Chemical disinfection

The essence of chemical disinfection is to mix broken medical waste with disinfectant of a certain concentration, and ensure that it has enough contact area and time with disinfection agents. Organic matter is decomposed and microorganisms are killed in the process of disinfection. Maximum contact between disinfectant and medical waste is the premise to ensure the treatment effect.

3. The incineration

Incineration treatment is a chemical process of deep oxidation. Under the action of high temperature flame, the medical waste in the incineration equipment is transformed into residues and gases through three stages of drying, ignition and incineration. The sources of infection and harmful substances in the medical waste can be effectively destroyed in the incineration process. Incineration technology is suitable for all kinds of infectious medical waste, incineration requires high and stable furnace temperature in the incinerator, good oxygen mixing condition, enough gas stay time, and other conditions, at the same time, it is necessary to carry out harmless disposal of the final emission of flue gas and residue.

4. Sanitary landfill method

Sanitary landfill is the final disposal method of medical waste. Its principle is to bury garbage underground and decompose it into harmless substances through long-term decomposition of microorganisms. If the landfill system of medical waste does not have anti-seepage measures, various toxic substances, pathogens and radioactive substances will infiltrate into the soil with rain, and harmful substances will enter the human body through the food chain, endangering human health.

5. Steam sterilization

Autoclaves use high-pressure, high-temperature steam of more than 100 degrees Celsius, which makes them capable of killing even heat-resistant foreign bodies. They can also be easily installed on-site at a medical facility and are fast and easy to use, making them one of the most popular modern solutions in the healthcare industry. However, if they are not used in combination with a sufficiently powerful pulverizer, they cannot handle materials that are not easily penetrated by steam (such as medical sharps) or effectively sterilize chemical and anatomical waste.

How to use an integrated steam shredding sterilizer to treat medical waste?

Medical waste is poured into the inner cavity by the top sealed door. After being filled, the top sealed door is closed and locked. The reducer motor drives the knife shaft to rotate toward each other, and the material is crushed through the cutting, shredding and extrusion of the blade. When the sterilization temperature is reached, the sterilization timing begins. During this period, the intake valve of the inner chamber receives the joint control of the temperature and pressure of the inner chamber to ensure that the inner chamber is kept within a certain temperature range for the sterilization of waste. The waste is treated, broken, non-toxic, mostly solid and dry, so it can be safely disposed of as ordinary municipal waste. Since the waste is dehydrated, there is no risk of contaminating the wastewater.