Medical waste disposal can be an expensive reality for any facility that handles bio-hazardous materials. Regulations created both by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the State identify what materials can be labeled as medical waste, and the over-classification of this waste often leads to a facility overpaying for its disposal. However, there are ways to reduce these costs associated with the ...
Medical waste is a harsh reality for any healthcare facility. Often, that waste becomes hazardous and harmful to humans and the environment. Once that threshold has been crossed, an entirely different set of regulations surrounding its disposal comes into play. Hazardous waste can be found in any physical state; liquid, gaseous, or solid. The type of disposal depends entirely upon the physical state the waste is in, and ...
It is only February, and already the United States has undergone two viral outbreaks in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These outbreaks were unnecessary and entirely preventable, proving that there needs to be a stronger emphasis on infection control. Proper infection control needs to be practiced in any facility that utilizes medical instruments or is involved in contact with bodily fluids. In this ...
For over a century and for millions of patients, dentists have been using dental amalgam to fill cavities in teeth. What is dental amalgam? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines it as: “A mixture of metals, consisting of liquid (elemental) mercury and a powdered alloy composed of silver, tin, and copper. Approximately 50% of dental amalgam is elemental mercury by weight. The chemical properties of elemental mercury ...
The list of regulations surrounding dental waste and its disposal is growing rapidly. An already precise procedure, dental waste disposal undergoes constant updates in order to prevent materials from leaching into the environment. There are four main types of dental waste, and each comes with its own standard for proper disposal. In this post we will discuss the types of dental waste and their disposal methods: Amalgam ...
Medical waste, also known as healthcare waste, comes with a high risk of being contaminated by materials such as blood and bodily fluids. Due to this potentially infectious nature, there are many standards that have been put into place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) when it comes to the disposal of regulated medical waste. In an effort to protect healthcare workers from unnecessary exposure to ...
Outside of healthcare facilities, approximately 9 million sharps users will administer at least 3 billion injections annually. Additionally, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans (9.4 percent of the U.S. population) have diabetes, and another 84.1 million have prediabetes. Every one of these sharps users will need a place to safely dispose of their ...
The handling and disposal of medical waste is a reality for any medical facility, with multiple regulations in place to ensure that the environmental impact of its disposal is as minimal as possible. With over $996 billion pharmaceuticals sold worldwide annually, it’s imperative that the disposal of the resulting medical waste is handled properly and efficiently. Both medical professionals and the public are largely unaware ...
February 4th is an annual day of recognition of the impacts of cancer, a day of empowerment for those affected by its reach, and a day of action for those who press the government to take notice. This is World Cancer Day, a moment designed to bring awareness to the 9.6 million individuals who die worldwide each year from cancer, a number greater than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis deaths combined. What is Cancer? ...
Flu season is currently in full swing, and its impact has already been heavily felt: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that between October 1, 2018 and January 26, 2019 there have been 10.1 million to 11.7 million flu illnesses. Additionally, there have been 4.7 million to 5.6 million flu medical visits, and 118,000 to 141,000 flu hospitalizations. Unfortunately, these rates are all elevated, ...
