CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE OF MYSURU CITY HOSPITALS

Hospitals generate waste which is chemically hazardous, infectious and often radioactive. Such waste because of inappropriate disposal/treatment strategies contributes to serious health hazards in the community Bio - medical waste (BMW) is generated mainly by health care establishments. The management of Bio - medical waste is still infant all across the world. It consists of Bio - medical waste as well as chemical waste with a portion of solid waste. According MOEF (Ministry of Environment and Forest) every hospital generating Bio - medical wast e needs to set a requisite treatment facility nearby to ensure degradation of Bio - medical waste as the untreated Bio - medical waste should not be kept beyond 48 hours. The reality is that incinerators don’t eliminate toxic substances, they concentrate them. The primary hazard with incineration is the toxic chemicals in the emissions leaving the stack. In the present study, bottom ash of Mysuru city hospitals was analyzed to determine concentration of the toxic heavy metals and practicing management systems.