Incineration

Incineration, the process of burning waste, is an age-old practice for waste management. However, the process of burning modern-day waste, particularly medical waste, presents us with new and extensive environmental health risks because of the makeup of the waste stream. Incineration creates toxic air pollution and toxic ash. The air pollutants can affect both the local communities and can travel the jet stream to pollute distant lands and people. The ash may be placed in a landfill, creating the potential for the pollutants to leach into our ground water. Some of the pollutants persist in the environment, accumulating in the environment and in our bodies. The incineration of regulated medical and general hospital waste results in air and water emissions of dioxin, mercury, other toxic metals, particulates, and sulfur dioxide (Johnston and Erickson, 2000).

During the combustion process of incineration, new chemical compounds can be created. It is during this process that dangerous dioxins are unintentionally created. Dioxins, which are chlorine compounds, are created during combustion in the presence of chlorinated waste such as bleached white paper and polyvinyl chloride plastic. The EPA has identified medical waste incineration as the third largest source of dioxin air emissions and as the contributor of about 10% of the mercury from human activity (US EPA, 1997).

Plastics comprise roughly 15—30% of the medical waste stream, roughly twice as much as is found in municipal waste streams. Polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) is approximately 50% chlorine by weight. Paper and cardboard comprise 45—50%, food waste 10%, glass 7%, wood 3%, metals 10%, and other materials approximately 10% (Shaner, 1993).
From 'Environmental Health in the Healthcare Setting,' by Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN

 

On the Web

National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - "Infectious Waste" factsheet
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hip/waste.htm

Standard of Safety for Alternative Technologies for the
Disposal of Medical Waste - UL 2334
www.ul.com/eph/medwaste.htm

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