440 Health Care Waste
Safe Disposal of Chemical Wastes
Most health centers, small or large, end up creating chemical wastes that
need to be disposed of safely. Larger centers may also have waste from x-rays,
chemotherapy, and laboratories. We do not include ways to dispose of these
kinds of waste in this book because they are too complicated. (For information
on handling these wastes, see Resources.)
Chemicals used to clean and disinfect
Bleach can be diluted and then dumped into a leaching pit (see page 439).
Hydrogen peroxide solutions can be disposed of with no
special treatment. You can safely pour them down the
drain of a sink or into a toilet.
Glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde can cause cancer
and death. But if your center uses these chemicals for
disinfecting and cleaning, there are ways to get rid of
them safely. To treat glutaraldehyde or formaldehyde for
disposal, add caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) solution to
change the acidity (pH). Measure the pH with litmus
paper or a pH meter. Bring the pH to 12 and stay
at that pH for at least 8 hours. After 8 hours,
bring the pH to a neutral level (pH 7) by adding
hydrochloric acid (HCl). If you do not have the
proper materials to make glutaraldehyde or
formaldehyde safe for disposal, do not use them
— they are that dangerous. After processing, it is
safe to pour them into a leach pit.
Carbolic acid, used to sterilize sheets, causes
breathing and skin problems. A worker should
wear protective clothing including eye protection
and a mask when using or disposing of carbolic
acid. The wastewater should be added to a solution
of sodium hydroxide, then poured into a leach pit.
When preparing liquid chemical
wastes for disposal, wear
protective gear (see Appendix A),
and be careful not to splash.
Mercury
Mercury is the silver liquid inside a thermometer. It is also used in other
medical equipment, such as the meters attached to old blood pressure cuffs, as
well as in batteries and lamps.
Mercury is a very toxic heavy metal (see page 338). Absorbing it through
the skin or breathing in even a very small amount of mercury can damage
the nerves, kidneys, lungs, brain, and cause birth defects.
Mercury is not destroyed by burning. In fact, burning mercury turns it
into even more harmful gas.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012