420 Health Care Waste
Health Problems from Health Care Waste
Any waste can cause health problems if not carefully disposed of. But health
care waste can cause particular health problems such as:
• hepatitis B and C, tetanus, HIV, and serious skin infections from used
needles and sharp instruments.
• allergies, skin rashes, eye irritations, asthma and other breathing
difficulties from breathing in disinfectants, detergents, medicines,
and laboratory chemicals.
• antibiotic resistance. When a person handles antibiotic
medicines often, they may no longer work for her.
• cancer, respiratory problems, and other illnesses
from wastes that release toxic chemicals such
as dioxins into the environment when they are
burned.
People most at risk of harm from health care waste are:
people who remove trash from
health centers and those who
collect, recycle, or sell trash
from dump sites and landfills
people who live near where health care
waste is dumped or burned
workers and patients in health centers
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012