Solid medical hospital waste in times of corona : increased volume but no increased biohazard risk
- Author
- Norbert Fraeyman (UGent) , Eva Van Braeckel (UGent) , Bruno Verhasselt (UGent) , Pascal De Waegemaeker (UGent) , Susanne Mahnik, Marc Hoffmann, Paul Gemmel (UGent) , Kristof Eeckloo (UGent) and Eric Mortier (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste EWC/EURAL code 180103* (infectious medical waste) and 180104 (non-infectious medical waste) was investigated in 6 university hospitals and 6 general hospitals. Data on the number of in-hospital patients and on quantity and volume of waste were obtained during 2019 (control period) and in 2020 up to March 2021 (COVID-19 period) for the hospitals, from the waste managing company, and from the regional destruction facility. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of waste recipients was analyzed using RTPCR. We found that the effect of the pandemic on the total weight of waste is limited during the first wave (March 2020), while during the second wave, the quantity of waste type 180103* increased. The main effect is a nearly doubling of the volume of waste during both waves caused by the use of cardboard hospital boxes with a yellow inner plastic bag. We demonstrated that the average weight of these cardboard boxes generated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients is significantly lower compared to the weight of the waste from non-COVID-19 patients. COVID-19-related health care activities caused a weight increase of the 180103* waste from historical data (0.2-1.4 kg/day/bed) up to 5-8 kg/day/bed. RT-PCR analysis of swabs demonstrated the absence of viral RNA on personal protection materials and on the surface of recipients containing the waste. We conclude that COVID-19-related hospital waste is predominantly of the EWC 180104 type.
- Keywords
- Waste Management and Disposal, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Engineering, Medical Waste, COVID-19, EWC/EURAL code 180103*, Viral RNA, TRANSMISSION
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8766816
- MLA
- Fraeyman, Norbert, et al. “Solid Medical Hospital Waste in Times of Corona : Increased Volume but No Increased Biohazard Risk.” DETRITUS, vol. 19, 2022, pp. 94–103, doi:10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15197.
- APA
- Fraeyman, N., Van Braeckel, E., Verhasselt, B., De Waegemaeker, P., Mahnik, S., Hoffmann, M., … Mortier, E. (2022). Solid medical hospital waste in times of corona : increased volume but no increased biohazard risk. DETRITUS, 19, 94–103. https://doi.org/10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15197
- Chicago author-date
- Fraeyman, Norbert, Eva Van Braeckel, Bruno Verhasselt, Pascal De Waegemaeker, Susanne Mahnik, Marc Hoffmann, Paul Gemmel, Kristof Eeckloo, and Eric Mortier. 2022. “Solid Medical Hospital Waste in Times of Corona : Increased Volume but No Increased Biohazard Risk.” DETRITUS 19: 94–103. https://doi.org/10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15197.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Fraeyman, Norbert, Eva Van Braeckel, Bruno Verhasselt, Pascal De Waegemaeker, Susanne Mahnik, Marc Hoffmann, Paul Gemmel, Kristof Eeckloo, and Eric Mortier. 2022. “Solid Medical Hospital Waste in Times of Corona : Increased Volume but No Increased Biohazard Risk.” DETRITUS 19: 94–103. doi:10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15197.
- Vancouver
- 1.Fraeyman N, Van Braeckel E, Verhasselt B, De Waegemaeker P, Mahnik S, Hoffmann M, et al. Solid medical hospital waste in times of corona : increased volume but no increased biohazard risk. DETRITUS. 2022;19:94–103.
- IEEE
- [1]N. Fraeyman et al., “Solid medical hospital waste in times of corona : increased volume but no increased biohazard risk,” DETRITUS, vol. 19, pp. 94–103, 2022.
@article{8766816,
abstract = {{The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical waste EWC/EURAL code 180103* (infectious medical waste) and 180104 (non-infectious medical waste) was investigated in 6 university hospitals and 6 general hospitals. Data on the number of in-hospital patients and on quantity and volume of waste were obtained during 2019 (control period) and in 2020 up to March 2021 (COVID-19 period) for the hospitals, from the waste managing company, and from the regional destruction facility. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 on the surface of waste recipients was analyzed using RTPCR. We found that the effect of the pandemic on the total weight of waste is limited during the first wave (March 2020), while during the second wave, the quantity of waste type 180103* increased. The main effect is a nearly doubling of the volume of waste during both waves caused by the use of cardboard hospital boxes with a yellow inner plastic bag. We demonstrated that the average weight of these cardboard boxes generated for the treatment of COVID-19 patients is significantly lower compared to the weight of the waste from non-COVID-19 patients. COVID-19-related health care activities caused a weight increase of the 180103* waste from historical data (0.2-1.4 kg/day/bed) up to 5-8 kg/day/bed. RT-PCR analysis of swabs demonstrated the absence of viral RNA on personal protection materials and on the surface of recipients containing the waste. We conclude that COVID-19-related hospital waste is predominantly of the EWC 180104 type.}},
author = {{Fraeyman, Norbert and Van Braeckel, Eva and Verhasselt, Bruno and De Waegemaeker, Pascal and Mahnik, Susanne and Hoffmann, Marc and Gemmel, Paul and Eeckloo, Kristof and Mortier, Eric}},
issn = {{2611-4127}},
journal = {{DETRITUS}},
keywords = {{Waste Management and Disposal,Environmental Chemistry,Environmental Engineering,Medical Waste,COVID-19,EWC/EURAL code 180103*,Viral RNA,TRANSMISSION}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{94--103}},
title = {{Solid medical hospital waste in times of corona : increased volume but no increased biohazard risk}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.31025/2611-4135/2022.15197}},
volume = {{19}},
year = {{2022}},
}
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