Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.
Waste Manag Res. 2012 Jun;30(6):562-71. doi: 10.1177/0734242X11412109. Epub 2011 Jul 11.
A survey of healthcare waste management practices and their implications for health and the environment was carried out. The study assessed waste management practices in 20 healthcare facilities ranging in capacity from 40 to 600 beds in Ikorodu and metropolitan Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. The prevailing healthcare waste management status was analysed. Management issues on quantities and proportion of different constituents of waste, segregation, collection, handling, transportation, treatment and disposal methods were assessed. The waste generation averaged 0.631 kg bed(-1) day(-1) over the survey area. The waste stream from the healthcare facilities consisted of general waste (59.0%), infectious waste (29.7%), sharps and pathological (8.9%), chemical (1.45%) and others (0.95%). Sharps/pathological waste includes disposable syringes. In general, the waste materials were collected in a mixed form, transported and disposed of along with municipal solid waste with attendant risks to health and safety. Most facilities lacked appropriate treatment systems for a variety of reasons that included inadequate funding and little or no priority for healthcare waste management as well as a lack of professionally competent waste managers among healthcare providers. Hazards associated with healthcare waste management and shortcomings in the existing system were identified.
对医疗废物管理实践及其对健康和环境的影响进行了调查。该研究评估了尼日利亚拉各斯州伊科罗杜和大都市拉各斯的 20 家医疗保健机构的废物管理实践，这些机构的床位容量从 40 张到 600 张不等。分析了现有的医疗废物管理状况。评估了废物数量和不同成分的比例、分类、收集、处理、运输、处理和处置方法方面的管理问题。调查区域内平均每天每床位产生 0.631 公斤废物。医疗保健设施产生的废物包括一般废物（59.0%）、传染性废物（29.7%）、锐器和病理性废物（8.9%）、化学品（1.45%）和其他废物（0.95%）。锐器/病理性废物包括一次性注射器。总体而言，废物材料以混合形式收集、运输，并与城市固体废物一起处置，这带来了健康和安全风险。由于各种原因，大多数设施缺乏适当的处理系统，包括资金不足、对医疗废物管理的重视程度较低，以及医疗保健提供者中缺乏专业能力强的废物管理人员。确定了与医疗废物管理相关的危害和现有系统的缺陷。
