Research Department, Ezequiel Dias Foundation, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Waste Manag Res. 2020 May;38(5):485-486. doi: 10.1177/0734242X20918312. Epub 2020 Apr 17.
Wastes generated in healthcare facilities have been discussed and the World Health Organization has proposed a guideline for controlling the spread of the virus that causes Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, waste management outside the generating facility should be discussed in more detail, taking into account factors such as virus resistance, differences in waste management systems and the climatic conditions in each affected region. Patients infected by human coronavirus being treated at home are generating infected waste possibly discarded as domestic waste, which can pose risks to workers and the environment, depending on the conditions of transport and disposal. In particular, the spread of the coronavirus may be increased by inadequate waste management, highlighting poor handling conditions associated with inappropriate use of personal protective equipment and other unfavourable conditions presented mainly in developing countries.
医疗机构产生的废物已被讨论过,世界卫生组织也提出了控制 2019 年冠状病毒病(COVID-19)病毒传播的指南。然而,还应更详细地讨论产生废物设施之外的废物管理问题,考虑到病毒抗性、废物管理系统的差异以及受影响地区的气候条件等因素。在家中接受人类冠状病毒感染治疗的患者产生的感染性废物可能作为家庭废物丢弃,这可能会对工人和环境造成风险,具体取决于运输和处置的条件。特别是,废物管理不善可能会增加冠状病毒的传播,这凸显了与个人防护设备使用不当和主要在发展中国家出现的其他不利条件有关的处理条件差的问题。