The reusable syringes that were cleaned in sterilizers have long lost the onetime. And now thousands of these medical subjects appear daily, which must somehow dispose of. How is it done correctly?
Hazard Class
Medical waste has its own danger, separate from general garbage. It has a letter gradation from “A” to “D”. Moreover, all medical waste is generally considered dangerous, in accordance with the decision of the World Health Organization of 1979.
Syringes fall into two categories at once “b” and “c”. This happens because the first category means objects that come in contact with the body fluids, and the second objects in contact with especially dangerous viruses. The syringe works in both areas at once, so the hazard class must be determined in each case. For example, if the tool was used for vaccinating injection to a healthy child, then this is a class “B”. In the case of the administration of the medicine, a person suffering, say, encephalitis, will get a syringe utilized in category “B”.
In accordance with the law, medical waste is disposed of in special packages. Each package has a color scheme set by the class of danger of its contents. For syringes, bags of yellow and red are used.
Methods of recycling syringes
Syringes and needles from them are disposed of in several ways.
- Storing at a special training ground. This, roughly speaking, is a special landfill on which medical waste is stored. The method is complex and farther over the past.
- Burning. Burning used syringes is an effective matter. After all, this tool consists of plastic, which means that after processing nothing remains. However, this requires special equipment. In addition, caustic chemical smoke is formed during burning.
- Repeated use. Since the syringe is plastic, it can be used again by processing into pure plastic. For this, this tool is disinfected by processing in the apparatus with microwave currents (almost microwave) or in autoclave. In both cases, a plastic mass is obtained, devoid of bacteria, which is crushed and transferred to industrial enterprises.
Disposal of home syringes
The above technologies operate as part of medical institutions. But what to do with syringes that in considerable quantities exist behind their walls? Many people make injections on their own, so the used onetime syringe can appear in any house.
It’s no secret that most often they act with a syringe very simply: they throw like ordinary garbage. Thus, it enters the garbage container or garbage chute and on the landfill. Often this small item falls out of the container and lies nearby. All this is very unsafe due to the possibility of accidental wounds about a sharp needle. Moreover, not only an employee of the garbage harvesting car, but also the owner of the syringe can get hurt it is enough to carefully take up the package of garbage.
The worst when wounded with a syringe is not an injury itself, but the bacteria located on the needle. Thus, you can easily and naturally infect anything, up to a deadly virus. What to do?
There are special containers to dispose of home syringes. They are made of very durable plastic, which cannot be pierced with a needle. If there is no such container at hand, you can use any strong container, preferably metallic. In the garbage bag, place the container should be closer to the middle.
