Having to watch your step as pockets of syringes and hazardous debris appear in the sand underfoot is not exactly how most of us picture the famous Jersey Shore. We think of pristine waterfronts and yodeling frat boys. Yet, this August a lifeguard found three dozen diabetic syringes buried in the sand at Island Beach State Park. Officials speculate that they washed up from the sewer system, but a more specific source cannot be identified. Wherever they came from, it’s bad for human and animal health, bad for tourism and bad for the environment to have medical waste debris wash up on shore where people walk and play.
- November 7, 2013
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In the United States, more than $4 billion pounds of medical waste is produced annually. Medical waste consists of solids, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste that are infectious or dangerous. The healthcare industry produces more waste than most industries in the United States. Since medical waste can pose a serious hazard to the general public, it is heavily regulated. The Medical Waste Tracking Act requires health care companies to comprehensively document all of its biohazard and chemical waste disposal practices.
- October 16, 2013
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In every hospital or medical facility, there is an unseen potential problem lurking in the corners: medical waste. Medical waste is a broad term to imply any byproduct of a medical procedure, and it becomes a problem when it is improperly handled or disposed of. It is not a sexy subject, but a very important one because managing medical waste properly means maintaining human health and environmental integrity. The consequences to mismanaging medical waste can vary from a mild warning to widespread health problems caused by transferable diseases, environmental pollution and even possibly death.
- October 7, 2013
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At one point, it happens to all of us. We get bored of twiddling our thumbs waiting for our doctor so we look around the room hoping to find something of interest. Our eyes stop on a red box hanging on the wall. We try to decipher what the box is when suddenly the angle of lighting outlines the contents inside. Our eyes widen in horror to see the silhouettes of hundreds of sharp needles nesting within. Although the image mirrors a scene from one of the Saw movies, the reality is that the little box of terrors is none other than a medical waste management procedure.
- October 26, 2011
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