Medical waste contains varying degrees of bacteria, viruses and harmful substances. Moreover, the organic matter in the waste not only breeds mosquitoes and flies causing the spread of diseases, but also releases malodorous gases such as ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) when it decomposes in a corrupt manner, generating a variety of hazardous substances, polluting the atmosphere and endangering human health.
Medical waste refers to the direct or indirect infectious, toxic and other hazardous wastes generated by medical institutions in the course of medical treatment, prevention, health care and other related activities, specifically including infectious, pathological, injurious, pharmaceutical and chemical wastes. These wastes contain a large number of bacterial viruses and are characterized by space contamination, acute viral transmission and latent transmission.
If the management is not strengthened, randomly discarded, allowed to be mixed into the domestic garbage, dispersed into the living environment, will pollute the atmosphere, water, land, as well as plants and animals, resulting in the spread of disease, a serious danger to the physical and mental health of people. All medical waste and household waste should never be mixed.
Extended information:
Hazards of medical waste:
Because of the characteristics of medical waste with all-space contamination, acute contagion and latent contamination, and the microorganisms it contains are harmful. Containing microorganisms that are dozens, hundreds or even thousands of times more harmful than ordinary household waste, if not properly handled, will become a source of hospital infections and social and environmental hazards, and more serious can become the source of disease epidemics.
At the same time, it is also the main cause of cross-infection and air pollution in the hospital, cross-infection caused by medical waste accounted for 20% of the rate of social cross-infection.
Baidu Encyclopedia - Medical Waste