ISSN: 2265-6294

Hazardous Waste Management in Public Health Centers in La Maná, Ecuador

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Juan Pablo Urdánigo Zambrano,Cristina Juliana Castro Zambrano,Mariela Díaz Ponce,Yarelys Ferrer Sanchez,

Abstract

Hospital facilities are responsible for reducing and preventing health problems in the population, although they inevitably generate waste that can be hazardous to human well-being or negatively influence the environment. This research aimed to evaluate the sustainable integrated management of hazardous waste in public health facilities in the urban area of “La Maná”. Surveys were applied to the health workers of the three public health centers; in addition, a hazardous waste characterization was carried out, then the environmental impacts were evaluated by means of a cause-effect matrix. The information collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the qualitative variables were analyzed with the Chi test2; an ANOVA was also applied to identify statistical differences in the generation of hazardous waste between medical centers and areas of care. 66.67% of the workers have not received training on hazardous waste management and 93.06% do not know the applicable environmental regulations. The average rates of hazardous waste generation depend on the area and type of health center. Type C health sub-center is the facility with the highest daily generation of sharps and infectious biological waste; it also has the highest environmental impact (62%). The investigation revealed the deficient management of hazardous waste, non-compliance with sanitary regulations and health risks for medical personnel and patients, and the negative environmental impact on water, soil and air.

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