Author(s)

M. Di Basilio & M. Papacchini

Abstract

Sanitary wastes represent an important health aspect of extreme complexity on account of their heterogeneity, their quantitative and typological growing trend and of their simultaneous belonging to different hazardous classifications. The purpose of this study is to review the occupational exposure and risks for workers involved in the sanitary waste collection and management industry. Sanitary Wastes (S.W.) can be categorized as infectious or non-infectious. Workers of the sector considered are exposed to the most common etiological agents such as the Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV viruses, bacterial infections caused by the Bacillus, Staphylococcus and Mycobacterium varieties and fungal infections from the Aspergillus variety, mainly due to accidental events or faulty application of safety procedures. The nature of the relevant biological agent depends on the processing unit in question. Referring also to current Italian legislation and to risks connected to S.W. management, this study will consider tools to put in practice a rigorous hygienic management of S.W., in order to minimize all risks connected with their production, collection and disposal. An important sector of this study will be dedicated to S.W. classification, differentiating infectious from non-infectious waste, in order to choose the most acceptable treatment method for the various types of waste, reducing risks for workers due to the presence of non-infectious hazardous substances. All actions taken in order to protect persons handling S.W. will be analysed for each phase of their packaging, handling, transportation and storage. Keywords: sanitary wastes, management, professional exposure, Italian legislation.

Keywords

sanitary wastes, management, professional exposure, Italian legislation.