Attacks with a hypodermic needle continue to occur though are fortunately infrequent. The latest recorded attack, on an unfortunate lady who innocently answered her front door to be stuck in the neck […]
In an horrific twist on the now all-too-common tale of sharps injury to a member of the public coming into contact with a discarded needle, usually discarded drug litter, a Bournemouth […]
Reduce, re-use, recycle. We hear it often but sometimes it is simply not appropriate. A Colorado dentist, Dr Stephen Stein, stands accused of possibly exposing patients to HIV by reusing syringes […]
The Guardian reports of the approximately £150 million of medicines returned to pharmacists each year that are “wasted” and destroyed by incineration rather than re-issued. It is, of course, a tale of […]
Coffee is an increasing popular drink, overtaking tea as the national drink. Coffee shops seem to be everywhere, with outlets in the high street, in book shops and libraries, in […]
By analysing the pharmaceutical waste produced by eight operating rooms, an anaesthetist in New York found that discarded or wasted propofol made up 45% of all the drug waste. Future wastage […]
The Capital District Ambulance Service is accused of dumping medical waste in abandoned ambulances. CBS6 has learned that DGS workers who were performing routine maintenance found bags of blood-soaked rags and dirty […]
It is a truism that, at all times “Your waste [is] your responsibility”. Nobody would argue with that but sometimes this creates a precedent against which the blameless can be unfairly measured. […]
The information available on local authority web pages creates an essential method of communicating waste-related news to residents and others. A recent update by Cornwall Council (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=30535) discusses assisted and […]
The River Yare has been the subject of many landscape paintings by the early 19th century Norwich School of artists. There are examples in the National Gallery of Art in Washington […]
A load of construction debris set off radiation alarms at a waste station in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Somewhat bizarrely, investigation revealed a rare find – an antique medical kit containing four capsules […]
Several UK hospitals have been found to breach drug storage security requirements and no doubt after this expose all but the most laissez faire hospital managers will be checking on their […]
Sharps bins had previously been found only in healthcare premises but are now ubiquitous. Many gymnasia and sports stadiums now place a sharps bin in the male toilets – though vehemently deny any suggestion […]
The National Clinical Guideline Centre has released its latest and probably last draft of its document “Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care” for pre-publication […]
Many UK hospitals store waste in a corner of the hospital car park. There are obvious advantages since access by large vehicles collecting that waste will generally be easier, though […]
Managing IV drug abuse and its associated drug litter is an almost impossible task. Requiring the involvement of many different agencies, the solutions are impossible to identify and in general […]
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has reported that West Street Dental Practice in Congleton is not meeting the essential standard and must improve. Key failures were in cleanliness and infection […]
Hospital closures have been a common feature over the last 10-15 years and there will be more to come in the years ahead In addition to wholesale closures, closure of […]
Whether the waste from pharmaceutical R&D, manufacturing, stocking and over-stocking in pharmacies, over-prescribing or patient non-compliance, there is a great need to minimise pharmaceutical waste. The combined aims must be […]
Reduce, reuse, recycle. It seems sensible but in many countries the reality is of illicit salvage of items from clinical wastes followed by repackaging (of sorts) and reuse, all without […]
There is no doubt that in US and UK prisons, needles are a widespread problem and major health risk. The risk of sharps injury is high since needles are not […]
A Massachusetts dentist is being sued by the U.S. Department of Labor for allegedly firing an employee for raising concerns about needlestick hazards and filing a health hazard complaint with […]
Waste security at all points from producer sites though intermediate storage area and transport to the point of final destruction is of obvious importance. In no particular order, protection against […]
A tractor trailer carrying liquid low grade radioactive medical waste swerved to avoid hitting a car and struck the guardrail near Riverside Parkway, Cobb County, Georgia and overturned just before midnight Monday. […]
It is difficult to imagine quite what the link might be between the recent London riots and clinical waste. Pulse is reporting that out-of-hours GPs and their deputising services were forced to reduce home visits […]
Sharps bins are generally big and bulky. 1, 2, 4, or more litres capacity, these smaller sizes may sit neatly on a desk or benchtop but for those who are […]
The simplest ideas are often the best. To manage the safe and environmentally sound disposal of community pharmaceutical wastes, several Oklahoma counties have installed pharma drop boxes at popular locations, […]
“It’s wobbly with a crooked needle and a depressed piston. The tip looks blunt, the cap is loose and the tube has a pale exterior. ‘For single use only‘ says […]
In a policy shift that reinstates burning of clinical wastes, Egypt is finally moving toward control of its present 150 tonnes per day problem. Last updated: Monday, August 1, 2011
In a short news report from Gulfport, South Mississippi, several biohazard bags placed into a roadside skip (dumpster) sparked a response from the local Fire & Rescue service. Last updated: […]