Inadequacies in Hospital Waste and Sewerage Management in Chattogram, Bangladesh: Exploring Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards

Abstract

Bangladesh has been grappling with the issues of improper hospital waste management. To reflect the inadequacies in existing management practices and the potential implications on the environment and health, this study evaluated the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of doctors and nurses in a private and a public hospital in Chattogram city via a structured questionnaire survey. At the public hospital, 20.4% of the doctors and 6% of the nurses had occupational illnesses, compared to 36% of the doctors and 26.5% of the nurses at the private hospital. At the public hospital, 67.8% of the nurses wore PPE during waste collection, compared to 17.7% in the private hospital. Hospital wastes and occupational safety are not properly dealt with in both hospitals. An inadequacy was observed in the knowledge of hospital waste management among healthcare workers. The route of hospital wastes from the sources to the end destination was also traced via interviews and focus group discussions, which revealed that disposal practices of the hospital solid waste were environmentally unsustainable. In attempts to show opportunities for environmental and health risks from the hospital wastewater, this study also investigated the quality of the wastewater and tested it for the presence of resistant enteric pathogens. E. coli and S. aureus from both hospitals showed resistance against some common antibiotics used in Bangladesh. The physicochemical properties of the samples were nearly compliant with the Bangladesh Water Quality Standards for hospital wastewater. While more robust sampling and water quality analysis are required, this study provides basic water quality indicators and scope for future research to understand the apparent significant negative impact on the environment and health.

Molecular Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Diverse Environmental Samples Globally

“…We observed 14 countries reported the sequencing of the virus from wastewater whereas seven countries sequenced the virus from sewage samples. However, the untreated wastewater or sludge contains SARS-CoV-2 RNA in different regions, such as Italy, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, the USA, France, and Pakistan [ 22 , 23 , 25 , 39 , 40 ]. India reported detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for the first time in a wastewater treatment plant in May 2020 and the genetic material increased in the samples along with increasing the number of patients in that city [ 41 ].…”

“…They detected viral RNA in wastewater 3 weeks before the first clinical case [ 34 ]. The RNA concentration in wastewater can indicate the detection of COVID-19-confirmed cases which will be found after 4 to 7 days [ 25 , 39 , 40 ].…”

“…Moreover, occupational safety and hospital wastes are not managed properly; and healthcare workers have inadequate knowledge of hospital waste management. Hospital wastes are being disposed of in a way that is environmentally unsustainable [ 40 ]. This contributes to growing health risks to the environment as well as neighboring communities [ 38 ].…”

Advances in Facemasks during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era

“…Given this dilemma, we must address both challenges, which requires cooperation between policy makers, industry personnel, researchers, and the general public. 151 This sudden demand for masks will exacerbate existing global environmental issues. Therefore, research needs be undertaken in the textile industry to design smart, environmentally sustainable, protective materials that are washable and reusable and that can potentially reduce the amount of medical waste contributing to environmental pollution.…”

Nanoparticles-Based Face Masks and Respirators for Preventing COVID-19 Transmission: Breathability Versus Biocidal Activities

“…56 Homemade face masks have been manufactured using various materials such as cotton, air-jet downproof fabric, satin, polyurethane, polyester, linen, silk, nylon, and cellulose. [62][63][64][65] The filtration efficiency of these fabrics depends on their threads per inch (TPI), which is determined by the total number of threads in an inch counted on the length of a fastener. The filtration efficiency of 80% can be achieved by fabrics with >300 TPI.…”