A study of indoor air pollution caused by disinfection equipment as a consequence of infectious waste management

ABSTRACT

Infectious waste disinfection is an essential process in medical waste management that may cause release of some pollutants. In this study, the PAHs concentration at the disinfection was investigated. The change in the release rate of PAHs in two including infectious waste reduction and increasing the segregation ratio was estimated. The results showed that the PAHs concentration was 1172 – 2066 ng/m³. The specific concentration of PAHs was 852 ng/ton of infectious waste in average. The annual emission of the PAHs resulting from infectious waste disinfection is estimated to be 612.6 kg. Reduction of infectious waste caused by redefining infectious waste and increasing the segregation ratio leads to reduction of PAHs concentration by 50%. Increasing the ratio of segregation and redefinition of infectious waste that led to reduced waste loading volume are essential measures that reduce the emissions of pollutants as by-products of disinfection.

KEYWORDS:

• Medical waste
• indoor air pollution
• solid waste management
• PAHs

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author gratefully acknowledges the Research Council of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences for the financial support [Grant Number: 4010271; Ethics Code: IR.KUMS.REC.1401.040].