title: [Hospital and environment: waste disposal].
abstract: Like all production units, hospitals produce waste and are responsible for waste disposal. Hospital waste is particular due to the environmental risks involved, particularly concerning infection, effluents, and radionucleide contamination. Management plans are required to meet environmental, hygiene and regulatory obligations and to define reference waste products. The first step is to optimize waste sorting, with proper definition of the different categories, adequate containers (collection stations, color-coded sacks), waste circuits, intermediate then central storage areas, and finally transfer to an incineration unit. Volume and delay to elimination must be carefully controlled. Elimination of drugs and related products is a second aspect: packaging, perfusion pouches, tubing, radiopharmaceutic agents. These later products are managed with non-sealed sources whose elimination depends on the radioactive period, requiring selective sorting and specific holding areas while radioactivity declines. Elimination of urine and excreta containing anti-cancer drugs or intravesical drugs, particularly coming from protected rooms using radioactive iodine is another aspect. There is also a marginal flow of unused or expired drugs. For a health establishment, elimination of drugs is not included as part of waste disposal. This requires establishing a specific circuit with selective sorting and carefully applied safety regulations. Market orders for collecting and handling hospital wastes must be implemented in compliance with the rules of Public Health Tenders.
authors.affiliation: CHU Saint-Louis, Service de Pharmacie, Paris.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Faure
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rizzo Padoin
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000517:prevention & control; D006761:Hospitals; D008506:Medical Waste / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000032:analysis; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D008506:Medical Waste; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals