Waste materials which are dangerous to living things, and so require special precautions for disposal. Hazardous waste includes radioactive materials, toxic chemicals, and biological waste (blood, tissue, etc.) which can transmit disease (also called “infectious waste”). In health care, items disposed of regularly include used hypodermic needles, surgical sponges, and other products containing blood and body fluids. A special concern is contaminated needles; a needlestick is one way in which AIDS and hepatitis B can be transmitted. Hospitals are taking great care to ensure proper disposal of hazardous waste; precautions include special, stick-proof containers for needles, colored bags to signal biological waste (red, for example), and other special handling.<\/p>\n
In health care, any tissues; bioproducts such as blood, surgical sponges, needles, infectious materials, human remains; toxic substances; cytotoxic drugs; chemicals; or radioactive isotopes. These materials must be clearly labeled and securely stored before disposal, to prevent them from endangering public health.<\/p>\n
Waste that is flammable, explosive, corrosive, or toxic.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Waste materials which are dangerous to living things, and so require special precautions for disposal. Hazardous waste includes radioactive materials, toxic chemicals, and biological waste (blood, tissue, etc.) which can transmit disease (also called “infectious waste”). In health care, items disposed of regularly include used hypodermic needles, surgical sponges, and other products containing blood and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-h"],"yoast_head":"\n