Assessment of medical waste generation, associated environmental impact, and management issues after the outbreak of COVID-19: A case study of the Hubei Province in China

Abstract

COVID-19 greatly challenges the human health sector, and has resulted in a large amount of medical waste that poses various potential threats to the environment. In this study, we compiled relevant data released by official agencies and the media, and conducted data supplementation based on earlier studies to calculate the net value of medical waste produced in the Hubei Province due to COVID-19 with the help of a neural network model. Next, we reviewed the data related to the environmental impact of medical waste per unit and designed four scenarios to estimate the environmental impact of new medical waste generated during the pandemic. The results showed that a medical waste generation rate of 0.5 kg/bed/day due to COVID-19 resulted in a net increase of medical waste volume by about 3366.99 tons in the Hubei Province. In the four scenario assumptions, i.e., if the medical waste resulting from COVID-19 is completely incinerated, it will have a large impact on the air quality. If it is disposed by distillation sterilization, it will produce a large amount of wastewater and waste residue. Based on the results of the study, we propose three policy recommendations: strict control of medical wastewater discharge, reduction and transformation of the emitted acidic gases, and attention to the emission of metallic nickel in exhaust gas and chloride in soil. These policy recommendations provide a scientific basis for controlling medical waste pollution.

Medical Waste Management during the Coronavirus 2019. A Review Study of China

“…Based on the predicted medical waste production in the Province from January to April 2020 (M = 0.5), the medical waste production from January 23 to April 28, 2020 under normal conditions can be calculated (as shown in the Table 1). Based on the actual production value of MW from the pandemic in Hubei Province and the total normal production from Table 1, we can obtain the net production value of new MW (during the pandemic) to be 3366.99 tons, which is 16.04% higher than that under the normal conditions in the same period which was at the rate of 0.4 kg/bed/day or 0.6 kg/bed/day (Ye J, 2022). Table 1.…”

“…The estimation of MW generation differs from region to region, however, according to a study conducted in China's Hubei province it alludes that the province generally uses internationally accepted empirical formulas. Where the quantity of medical waste is calculated from the values of the variables of number of visits, bed utilization, and number of beds (Ye J, 2022) (Adu RO, 2020). Therefore, under the empirical estimation method, the study assumed that the daily MW production in Hubei Province is the same in each month under normal conditions as shown in figure 3.…”

“…Table 1. Predicted production of medical waste under conventional conditions in the Hubei Province (Ye J, 2022) According to another study conducted in Wuhan, it was discovered that in 2019, MW generated in Wuhan was approximately 19,531 tones, with an average daily disposal demand of approximately 55 tones. The rapid increase in MW in such a short time far exceeded the original disposal capacity that in the most difficult time, led to a shortage in the MW disposal capacity of more than 60 tones.…”

Environmental impact of COVID-19 Vaccine waste: A perspective on potential role of natural and biodegradable materials

“…Moreover, waste management for energy production is another alternative tool that can generate value added products by combustion and pyrolysis of healthcare waste [20] . However, subsequent generation of hazardous gases such as CO 2 , carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxide, dioxins, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) not only pollutes the air, but also enters into water and soil [21] , [22] . Among all other toxic gases, dioxins are more poisonous and reportedly their concentration in flue gases form medical waste incineration is extremely higher than domestic waste combustion [23] .…”

Investigation of Global Trends of Pollutants in Marine Ecosystems around Barrang Caddi Island, Spermonde Archipelago Cluster: An Ecological Approach

“…Photodegradation due to sunlight, interaction by ocean currents, mobilization of materials due to differences in the waters, effects of salinity, consequences arising from temperature differences, and collisions between materials due to tidal movements in coastal areas are natural processes of the sea that occur continuously [17]. The occurrence of these events in marine ecosystems enriches the production of components with diverse marine biological and non-biological materials [33][34][35][36][37].…”