By Amira Muhammad
A medical waste management specialist in Ilorin, Mr Lakadir Adebayo, has warned that poor handling and disposal of biomedical waste in healthcare facilities could expose health workers and patients to dangerous infections.
He added that surrounding communities could also face serious environmental and public health hazards if biomedical waste was not properly managed and disposed of.
Adebayo, who works with the State House Government Hospital, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
He described waste segregation as the most critical stage in biomedical waste management, emphasising that strict procedures must be followed to prevent disease transmission and environmental contamination.
“If infectious waste is mixed with ordinary refuse, the entire batch becomes hazardous and poses a threat to anyone handling it,” he said.
He explained that biomedical waste segregation begins at the point of generation, including hospital wards, operating theatres, laboratories and pharmacies, where healthcare workers separated waste into colour-coded containers according to category.
According to him, sharp objects such as needles and scalpels are placed in puncture-proof safety boxes, while infectious materials including blood-stained dressings, gloves and laboratory specimens are collected separately.
He added that expired medicines, chemical waste and pathological materials such as tissues and organs were also isolated and subjected to specialised treatment procedures.
Adebayo said that after segregation, the waste was temporarily stored in secure locations within hospital premises before being transported by licensed waste management operators to treatment facilities.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 85 per cent of waste produced by healthcare facilities is non-hazardous, while the remaining 15 per cent is hazardous, infectious, toxic, chemical or radioactive.
NAN reports hospitals generate tonnes of biomedical waste daily, including used syringes, blood-soaked dressings, laboratory samples, expired medicines and human tissues, which are unavoidable by-products of healthcare delivery.
Experts said improper management of such waste posed significant risks to public health and the environment, making safe handling and disposal an essential component of healthcare services.
They explained that treatment methods varied according to waste type and may include autoclaving, chemical disinfection and high-temperature incineration for pathological and highly infectious waste.
The experts cautioned that unsafe disposal practices, including open dumping and indiscriminate burning, could release harmful pollutants into the environment and increased the risk of infections such as hepatitis and HIV.
They also identified inadequate funding, poor training of healthcare personnel, weak enforcement of waste management regulations and limited treatment infrastructure as major challenges affecting biomedical waste management in Nigeria.
Environmental health advocates called on government agencies, healthcare institutions and regulatory bodies to strengthen monitoring systems, invest in modern treatment technologies and provide continuous training for healthcare workers.
They emphasised that proper biomedical waste management went beyond sanitation and remained a critical component of infection prevention, occupational safety and environmental protection.
According to the experts, ensuring the safe segregation, treatment and disposal of biomedical waste will be essential to protecting public health and safeguarding the environment as healthcare services expand across Nigeria.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
