The document discusses cellulosic biomedical waste. It notes that while 76-90% of biomedical waste is non-hazardous, the remaining 10-26% is hazardous to humans, animals, and the environment if not handled properly. Major hospitals generate substantial amounts of biomedical waste, as do smaller facilities like nursing homes and clinics. Common disposal methods like incineration and landfilling are expensive and less environmentally friendly. The Government of India established rules in 1998 to regulate the handling and disposal of biomedical waste, including categories and proper procedures. Key steps for management include segregation by color, storage, transportation, and final treatment or disposal.

1. Cellulosic Biomedical Waste
DR.SREEREMYA
FACULTY OF BIOLOGY

2. • Although 76-90% of the BMW is non-hazardous and harmless as
any of the other municipal waste, the remaining 10-26% is
hazardous to humans or animals and deleterious to environment.
Inappropriate handling of the BMW may have serious public health
consequences and the significant impact on the environment.
Major hospitals contribute substantially to the quantum of
generation of the BMW. Smaller hospitals, the nursing homes,
clinics, the pathological laboratories and blood banks also have
major contribution to BMW. The common methods adopted for the
BMW disposal are incineration and land filling. However, these
methods are mainly considered more expensive and less
ecofriendly due to their main negative impact on the environment.

3. • RESEARCH ANALYSIS
• The Government has mainly formulated the Bio-Medical Waste
(Handling and Management) Rules in 1998 (hereafter referred to as
the Bio-Medical Waste Rules) in order to keenly specify procedures
that have to be followed in the management and also the disposal
of waste. The rules regulate the disposal of the bio-medical waste
including human anatomical waste, blood, body fluids, medicines,
the glassware, soiled, liquid & biotechnology waste and animal
waste. The rules have been formulated as the framework for
handling & management of biomedical wastes. The rules are
applicable to all the hospitals, nursing homes etc in the country and
also apply to all the persons who generate, collect, receive, store,
transport, treat, disposal or handling biomedical waste in any
form(Wang et al.,2007).

4. • BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
• Some of the waste management process that is typically applied till now is
summarized as beneath. Handling, segregation, the mutilation, disinfection,
storage, transportation and final disposal are vital steps for the safe and scientific
management of biomedical waste in any establishment. The key to minimization
and the effective management of biomedical waste is segregation (separation) and
the identification of the waste (Singh et al., 2004). The most appropriate way of
identifying the categories of the biomedical waste is by sorting the waste based on
color. This has to be segregated into the containers/ bags at the point of
generation in accordance with Schedule II of the Biomedical Waste (management
and handling) Rules 1998. General waste like garbage, the garden refuse etc.
should join the stream of domestic refuse. Sharps should be collected in the
puncture proof containers. Bags and containers for infectious waste should be
marked with the Biohazard symbol. Highly infectious waste should be sterilized by
autoclaving. The Cytotoxic wastes are to be collected in leak proof containers
clearly labeled as cytotoxic waste.

5. • BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
• The bio-medical waste (Management and Handling)
rules 1198 apply to all the persons who generate,
collect, receive, store, the transport, treat, dispose or
handle bio-medical waste in any form. And also it gives
the specific guidelines about categories of biomedical
waste, colour coding of containers, the transportation
and treatments such as Incineration, Autoclave and
Microwave (Pattnaik et al., 2009). Handling, the
segregation, mutilation, disinfection, the storage,
transportation and final disposal are vital steps for safe
and scientific management of the biomedical waste in
any establishment.

6. • The most appropriate way of identifying the categories of the
biomedical waste is by sorting the waste into colour coded plastic
bags or containers (Zibilske et al., 1999). Mainly the category II
biomedical waste (Sreeremya et al.,2017).The state that 62 % of
surgical, medical and laboratory departments store biomedical
waste inside utility rooms, followed by 42% of intensive care units.
Labour, operating rooms and dialysis units do not store the
biomedical waste in the department, but the waste is immediately
transported to the general storage field of the hospital. The mean
period of storage for the biomedical wastes in the storage areas of
the healthcare setting was 4.6 ± 8.2 days while the study was
conducted in the five hospitals and ten primary healthcare settings
of Egypt. It was concluded that the inadequate and inefficient
segregation, collection and transportation of biomedical waste
contribute to aggrandized risk of exposure of staff, patients and the
community to the biomedical hazards (Parthasarathiet al., 2000).

7. • Journal of Pharmaceutical Management and
Medical Laboratory Technology, Cellulosic
Biomedical Waste, Dr.S.Sreeremya ,2020.Vol
2(1):1-7.