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
