Overview
Hospitals, clinics, dentists, veterinarians, and mortuaries all handle medical waste. But they are also subject to the same solid waste, pesticide application, hazardous waste, drinking water, and wastewater requirements other types of facilities must comply with.
In order to give government staff and operators of healthcare facilities a general understanding of the major environmental issues associated with this industry and the steps that can be taken to improve environmental performance, EPA recently published Profile of the Healthcare Industry. While focusing on pollutant sources that would be part of a large medical center, the topics covered also apply broadly to many other smaller facilities such as: dentists' and physicians' offices, laboratories, home health services, nursing and residential care facilities and veterinary services. The Profile contains chapters on: industry background and trends, pollutant releases, applicable regulations, pollution prevention opportunities, compliance history, voluntary initiatives and resources for additional research.
Focus Areas
Building Construction/Renovation
The construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing buildings can result in construction/demolition (C&D) debris and waste asbestos.
Garbage/Trash/Food Waste
The disposal of paper, cardboard, toner cartridges, waste packaging, plastics, aluminum cans, and glass containers is usually the largest source of solid waste at a federal facility.
Fabrication Shop
Medical facilities may use degreasers in their fabrication shops to remove grease, oil, or other soil from metal, glass, or plastic items. Degreasers are nonaqueous solvents typically composed of petroleum distillates, chlorinated hydrocarbons, ketones, and alcohols.
Grounds Maintenance
Grounds maintenance activities that commonly take place at medical facilities include: landscaping, leaf and brush removal, pesticide and fertilizer application, lawn trimming and lawn mowing maintenance, composting, snow removal and debris cleanup.
Hazardous Materials
Medical facilities use a variety of hazardous materials from toxic cancer treatment drugs to solvents to photographic chemicals and paint.
Hazardous Waste
Wastes generated in hospitals that are hazardous wastes include: glutaraldehyde, mercury, chemotherapy and antineoplastic chemicals, formaldehyde, photographic chemicals, xylene, and scavenging unit charcoal filters.
HVAC
Climate control through the management of air conditioning systems and heating systems.
Incinerators
Methodology for disposal of some medical wastes.
Laundry/Fabric Care
Medical facilities often operate their own laundries, particularly hospitals, for the cleaning of sheets, hospital gowns, blankets, and pillow cases.
Medical Waste
Depending on the regulatory authority, this broad term includes the handling, storage, and management of sharps, blood, pathological waste and infectious waste both for humans and animals.
Pharmaceuticals
Medical facilities use a variety of bioactive substances to treat assorted conditions. It has only been recently that the alarm has been raised about the environmental impact of substances such as prescription and over-the counter therapeutic drugs, veterinary drugs, diagnostic agents, and ultraceuticals (e.g., vitamins.) For a more detailed overview of managing pharmaceutical waste the August 2008 guide published by the Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC) outlines a 1-step approach for managing pharmaceutical waste.
Plant Waste
Grass clipping, branches, and other organic waste generated in the process of landscape maintenance.
Sterilization Units
These include steam sterilizers (i.e. autoclaves) , cold sterilizers, gaseous autoclaves, and Ultraviolet autoclaves and sterilizers.
Universal Waste
A classification whereby waste batteries, waste excess pesticides, waste fluorescent tubes do not have to be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Wastewater
Medical Facilities may be discharging their wastewater to a local municipal or county treatment works, operating their own treatment works, and/or discharging directly to the environment. Sources of wastewater could include: boiler blowdown, cooling tower blowdown, domestic wastewater exceeding specified contaminant concentration or flow rate criteria, once-through cooling water, laundry facilities, cafeterias with grease traps, oil/water separator discharges, laboratory discharges, film/X-ray processing, and discharges from drains in maintenance shops.
