EPD director says several recycling units have been sealed
LAHORE
Highly infected hospital risk waste is being recycled and used for manufacturing of different plastic items especially daily use kitchen items, including plates, straws, dishes, glasses and spoons, posing a very serious threat to the citizens who are using these items without knowing their hazardous effects.
Following the increased complaints in this regard, Environment Protection Department (EPD), Punjab, has kicked off a massive drive against the mafia involved in recycling of risk waste while action will soon be initiated against all public and private sector hospitals and pathology laboratories for implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR).
Experts said reuse of hospital waste posed serious threat to the health of citizens besides the workers and other people affiliated with the recycling industry in Lahore. “If infectious waste is not destroyed properly, it would cause many fatal diseases like hepatitis and AIDS,” Dr Rauf, a senior doctor, said adding that the waste also caused skin, respiratory and eye diseases.
Sources revealed that private parties were also bringing tonnes of contagious and infectious hospital waste from across the province to the provincial metropolis for recycling purposes. Sources said the rackets involved in this illegal trade were bringing hospital waste packed in sacks by trucks.
A large number of plastic recycling industries, situated along the Bund Road, Shahdara, North Lahore and other far-flung localities, use this infected waste, sources said, adding that plastic industry was manufacturing various items from the recycled hospital waste, which included plastic furniture, plastic toys, plastic utensils, bottles and jars.
A senior EPD official claimed that non-implementation of Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) was resulting in spread of contagious diseases in the masses especially various forms of hepatitis. He said all the big and small hospitals, medical centres, clinics, pathology laboratories and other health-related businesses were bound to submit the details of their ways of disposing of the clinical and medical waste as well as equipment used on their premises. He said they were also bound to get the membership of the collection system of the government for disposing of the hazardous hospital waste safely.
EPD officials said that in case any of the hospitals or laboratories was not complying with the Hospital Waste Management Rules 2005, they would be issued a notice under the Environmental Laws. The DOs were repeatedly asked to send cases of those to the Environmental Tribunals for legal action who were not implementing the HWMR 2005.
EPD Director Naseem-ur-Rehman said the department had recently launched a drive and, on Wednesday, several recycling units were sealed in the north Lahore area.
Talking about implementation of HWMR, he said these rules were applicable on all hospitals, public or private, pathology labs and clinics and they should have dispose of their waste as per the Hospital Waste Management Rules.
He said the hospital waste includes infectious material containing pathogens in sufficient concentrations or quantities that, if exposed, could cause diseases. This includes waste from surgery and autopsies on those with infectious diseases. Other types of wastes are disposable needles, syringes, saws, blades, broken glasses, nails or any other item that could cause a cut, tissues, organs, body parts, human flesh, foetuses, blood, body fluids, drugs, chemicals, solids, liquids and gaseous waste contaminated with radioactive substances used in diagnosis and treatment of different diseases.
He added that under the Hospital Waste Management Rules, 2005, risk waste shall be separated from non-risk waste at wards, bedsides, operation theatre, laboratory or any other room of the hospital where the waste was generated by a doctor, nurse or other person. The rules clearly mention that all disposable material and medical equipment such as syringes, needles, plastic bottles, drips and blood bags shall be cut or broken so that they could not be used again, he maintained.
He said under the rules, sharps shall be placed in metal or high density plastic containers resistant to penetration and leakage and these containers shall be coloured yellow and marked “Danger! Contaminated Sharps”. About the pharmaceutical waste, he said, the rules clearly stated that large quantities of pharmaceutical waste shall be returned to the suppliers while small quantities shall be crushed and placed in yellow waste containers. Naseem-ur-Rehman said the DOs were directed to strictly check transportation of risk waste in their jurisdictions and also check hospitals and labs for implementation of HWMR. In case of non compliance, notices will be issued in the first phase and then their cases will be sent to the Environmental Tribunal for criminal proceedings. He said the DOs were also directed to seal the hospitals/labs for serious violations and the campaign will gain momentum in coming days.