There are many kinds of medical waste on Earth, both harmful and harmless. But none of them is directly introduced into your body, except sharp waste. As the name suggests, sharp wastes include any waste from syringes, injections, needles, or anything sharp that might be contaminated and will do harm when inserted into your body. Hospitals have a complete sharp waste disposal system in place, which is very necessary.
More than 16 million people get injected by one thing or another every year, and this number rises with every passing year. In developed countries, the used syringe is adequately taken care of by destroying it so that the relevant person cannot use the syringe again.
But in third world countries and under-developed countries, the case might be different. Their health care system is poor because they have not developed like other countries yet, which leads to fewer resources. And because they have less resources than other countries, they might start using and already used syringes.
When a syringe or injection, pulled out after insertion of fluids, is exposed to the air, it contaminates it. The reason is that blood has a phenomenal amount of bacteria and pathogens present in it, which stick with the syringe’s needle. These pathogens are acceptable in our body as white blood cells fight them off, but when exposed to the outside environment, it can cause severe complications.
These bacteria and pathogens are also harmful to the environment in which we reside. They might get attached to another human, or even an animal, whose immunity is already weak. These bacteria are also a threat to different plants, trees, and flowers, many of which are essential to us.
We don’t know what kind of bacteria or pathogen is in the air, and if it gets attached to a plant, it might end up killing that plant, which is a loss to the environment.
The majority of the hospitals use incinerators for sharp waste disposals, removing it from the world. This is very helpful because you cannot use the injection again. That is why you should never sterilize or disinfect the needle and use it again; it is dangerous and wrong.
Special containers, approved by the American organization FDA, are also available. You can place the syringe in the container after its use and then get rid of both completely.
Ground rules made by the WHO and FDA are available, and the professionals should study them before the usage of syringes and how to dispose of them.