Abstract :
Bio-Medical Waste (BMW) consists of solids, liquids, sharps and laboratory waste. Disposal of BMW in a scientific manner minimizes the adverse impact on health workers and environment. Improper disposal leads to a higher degree of environmental pollution apart from posing serious public health risks. Heavy metals migration is a serious environmental problem. The retention and migration of heavy metals are highly dependent on soil composition, pH, the degree of saturation and time duration. The heavy metals are considered to be toxic to the environment and human health when their concentration exceeds a standard value. Leaching of the heavy metals may lead to contamination of the soil and water bodies. Heavy metals being absorbed by plants enter into the food chain and cause physiological and neuropsychological hazards in human beings as they play an important role in the growth process and metabolism of the human body. Therefore, the high level of heavy metals in the solid BMW should be properly disposed of at landfill site. The present investigation has been carried out to evaluate the relative content of heavy metals in bio-degradable solid BMW from January 2016 to December 2016 in three Private and four Government hospitals of Patiala in the state of Punjab in India. The heavy metals studied are copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd).
Keyword :
Bio-medical waste; Disposal; Health; Hospital; Leaching; Segregation; Treatment.