Contains info on the common terminologies, health hazards and their preventive and control methods

1. Environment and health
Group B

2. CONTENTS
Definitions Health Hazards Preventive
measures
&
Control
measures
• Household wastes
• Improper disposal
• Waste
• Rubbish
• Refuse
• Garbage
• Sullage
• Sewage

3. Definitions
A. Waste
• any unwanted item or substance resulting from a human activity or process
Municipal solid waste from homes, institutions, small businesses
• Industrial solid waste : from production of consumer goods, mining,
petroleum extraction, agriculture
• Hazardous waste : toxic, chemically reactive, flammable, or corrosive
• Wastewater: water used in homes, businesses,etc., and drained or
flushed,plus runofffrom streets
B. Rubbish
• Portion of refuse which is non putrescible solid waste like pieces of papers,
clothes, wood, metal, glass and dust and dirt.

4. C. Refuse:
• Any useless, discarded, unwanted material that is not a
liquid or gas is referred as solid waste or refuse.
• Street refuse: Consists of leaves, straw, papers, animal
dung and litter of all kinds.
• Market refuse: Consists of putrid vegetables and animal
matters.
• Domestic refuse: Consists of ash, rubbish (pieces of
papers, clothes, wood, metal, glass and dust and dirt)
and garbage (waste arising from the kitchen, such as
peelings of vegetables, waste food, rotten fruits and
vegetables, etc.).
• Industrial refuse: Consists of wide variety of toxic
chemical compounds.
• Stable litter: Consists of mainly animal dung and left
over animal feeds from animal stables.
D. Garbage:
Refuse like ash, dust, waste paper, rags and garbage like
vegetable and animal matter, collected in metal
receptacles at least twice daily and emptied into the
public dust bin, at regular hours.

5. E. Sewage
Sewage is a mixture of human excreta, urine, wash
water, liquid waste coming from bathrooms and
kitchen, surface water and industrial liquid waste.
It is a dirty water with unpleasant sight and smell,
which if not drained and disposed off, can
contaminate sources of water and also food and
vegetables resulting in diseases and deaths.
F. Sullage
The term ‘Sullage’ is the waste water of the houses,
excluding human excreta, i.e. waste water coming
from kitchens and bathrooms. In this system, the
liquid waste is carried away through a system of
drains and underground pipes (sewers) from the
houses, industries and commercial areas, through the
agency of water to the place of ultimate disposal.

6. HEALTH HAZARD POSED BY HOUSEHOLD WASTE
Waste is a serious health hazard and lead to the spread of
infectious diseases. Unattended waste lying around attracts flies,
rats and other that in turn spread disease.
i. Some wastes that end up in landfills excrete hazardous
chemicals that leak into the soil. Eg:A plastic bottle, when
they eventually break down, they release DEHA, a carcinogen
that affects our reproduction systems, causes liver
dysfunction, and weight loss. Soil contamination does not
only affect plant growth, it is also unhealthy to humans and
animals feeding on those plants.
ii. Waste that contains hazardous chemicals, such as bleach and
acids, needs to be disposed of properly. Some papers and
plastics are burned in landfills, emitting gas and chemicals
that hurt the ozone layer. Waste that releases dioxins are also
dangerous and pose a health risk when they diffuse into the
air that we breathe

7. iii. Toxic liquid chemicals from waste can
also seep into water streams and
bodies of water which is used from
watering plants to drinking.
iv. Untreated sewage can threaten marine
life that comes in contact with
contaminated water.-Contaminated
water is also dangerous and harmful to
humans who consume fish and other
marine life.

8. v. Improper disposal of waste can greatly affect the health of the
population living nearby the polluted area or landfills.-Waste disposal
workers and other employees in these landfill facilities are at a greater
risk. -Exposure to improperly handled wastes can cause skin irritations,
blood infections, respiratory problems, growth problems, and even
reproductive issues.
vi. Mosquitoes and rats are known to live and breed in sewage areas, and
both are known to carry life-threatening diseases. -Mosquitoes breed in
cans and tires that collect water, and can carry diseases such as malaria
and dengue.-Rats find food and shelter in landfills and sewage, and they
can carry diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonellosis.
vii. Sharp items such as needles and broken glass present a further hazard
to people walking through the area.

9. • Exposure to hazardous health care waste can result in disease or
injury due to one or more of the following characteristics:
• It contains infectious agents
• It contains toxic or hazardous chemicals or pharmaceuticals.
• It contains sharps.
• It is genotoxic.
• It is radioactive.

10. • All individuals exposed to such hazardous health care waste are
potentially at risk, including those who generate the waste or those
who either handle such waste or are exposed to it as a
consequence of careless management .The main group at risk are:
• medical doctors, nurses, health care auxiliaries, hospital maintenance
personnel.
• patients in health care establishment.
• visitors to health care establishments.
• workers in support service allied to health care establishment such as
laundries, waste handling, transportation.
• workers in waste disposal facilities such as land fill or incinerator including
scavengers.

11. I. Hazards from infectious waste and sharps:
• Pathogens in infectious waste may enter the human body through a
puncture ,abrasion ,cut in the skin ,through mucous membranes by
inhalation or by ingestion.
• There is particular concern about infection with HIV and hepatitis virus B
and C,for which there is a strong evidence of transmission via health care
waste.Bacteria resistant to antibiotic and chemical disinfectants ,may also
contribute to the hazards created by poorly managed waste.
II. Hazards from chemicals and pharmaceuticals waste:
• Many of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals used on health care
establishment are toxic, genotoxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, explosive
or shock sensitive.Although present in small quantity they may mcause
intoxication ,either by acute or chronic exposure,and injuries ,including
burns.
Hazards

12. • Disinfectants are particularly important members of this group.They are
used in large quantities and are often corrosive, reactive chemicals may
form highly toxic secondary compounds.
III. Hazards from genotoxic waste:
• The severity of the hazards for health care worker responsible for handling
or disposal of genotoxic waste is governed by a combination of the
substance toxicity itself and the extent and duration of exposure.
• Exposure may also occur during the preparation of or treatment with
particular drug or chemical .The main pathway of exposure is inhalation of
dust or aerosols , absorption through the skin, ingestion of food
accidentally contaminated with cytotoxic drugs, chemicals, wastes.

13. III. Hazards from radioactive waste:
• The type of disease caused by radioactive waste is determined by the type
and extent of exposure.
• It can range from headache, dizziness and vomiting ,to much more serious
problems. Because it is genotoxic, it may also affect genetic material.
V. Public sensitivity:
• Apart from health hazards,the general public is very sensitive to visual
impact of health care waste particularly anatomical waste.

14. Preventive and control measures
Storage
• Proper storage
while awating
collection
• Steel dustbins with
close fitting over
• Public bins
Collection
• Gathering of solid
wastes
• Transport after
collection to the
location where the
vehicle is emptied
Separation
• Separation of
different types of
waste components
Transport
• From smaller
collection vehicle to
larges transport
equipment
• Then transport over
a long distance to
processing or
disposal site
Disposal
• Getting rid of
wastes

15. a) Land spreading and dumping
• Easy, in low lying areas but have many
disadvantages like exposure to flies and rodents;
Unpleasant smell and appearance; dispersion by
the action of wind; ground water pollution
• Most in sanitary method
b) Sanitary landfill
• an engineered facility used for disposing of solid
wastes on land without harming public health
• involves mass dumping of wastes into
designated area, a hole.
• then compacted by large machines
• when full, it is sealed with a plastic sheets.
• threat to pollution, intoxic to ground water
c) Further Management
• Recycling
• Energy production
Disposal of wastes

16. METHODS OF HUMAN WASTE DISPOSAL
Classification
1. Unsewered areas
• Service type laterine
• Non-service type laterine
2. Sewered areas-
• Water carriage system and sewage treatment Service Type Laterine
• Collection and removal of waste from bucket laterine by human agency
• transported by carts to the place of final disposal
• Disadvantages: inadequate emptying, insanitation, water and soil pollution,
human labour
• replaced by non service type laterine

17. Sanitary latrines:
Criteria
excreta should not contaminate ground or surface water
excreta should not pollute the soil
excreta should not accessible to vehicle transmission
excreta should not create unpleasant smell or
appearance
Bore-hole latrine
Advantages: No daily removal, No flies, No water
pollution
Disadvantages: Fills rapidly, Needs special
equipment, auger
Dug well latrine
easy to construct, no special equipment
longer life

18. Water seal laterine
• water fit with a squatting plate or a seat
• water: prevent flies, prevents gases and
odours
Septic Tank
• water tight tank into which household
sewage is admitted for treatment.
• satisfactory means of disposing excreta and
liquid wastes.
• individual dwellings, small groups of houses
and institutions which have adequate water
supply but don't have access to a public
sewerage system.

19. Sewered areas (water carriage system)
collection and transporting of human excreta and waste water from
residential, commercial and industrial areas, by a network of underground
pipes "sewers" to the place of ultimate disposal.
Types:-
1. Combined sewerage system: sewerage carry both sewage and surface
water
2. 2. Separate sewage system: Surface water not admitted to sewers; is the
system of choice

20. References
• K Park’s Textbook of PSM
• AH Suryakantha’s PSM
• www.bing.com/images

21. Thank You