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West Virginia Medical Waste Disposal

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West Virginia Medical Waste Disposal Service Area

Bio-MED services the entire state of West Virginia including the following cities for medical waste disposal.

Barboursville
Beckley
Bethlehem
Blennerhassett
Bluefield
Bluewell
Bridgeport
Brookhaven
Buckhannon
Charles Town
Charleston
Cheat Lake
Chester
Clarksburg
Crab Orchard
Cross Lanes
Culloden
Dunbar
Elkins
Fairhaven

Fairmont
Fayetteville
Follansbee
Grafton
Hinton
Hooverson Heights
Huntington
Hurricane
Inwood
Kenova
Keyser
Kingwood
Lawrenceville
Lewisburg
Madison
Martinsburg
Milton
Moorefield
Morgantown
Moundsville

New Cumberland
New Manchester
New Martinsville
Newell
Nitro
Oak Hill
Paden City
Parkersburg
Pea Ridge
Petersburg
Teays Valley
Weirton
Wellsburg
Weston
Westover
Wheeling
White Sulphur Springs
Williamson
Williamstown
Winfield

West Virginia Medical Waste

West Virginia Medical Waste. In West Virginia medical waste is called infectious medical waste which is medical waste which is capable of producing an infectious disease. Medical waste shall be considered capable of producing an infectious disease if it has been, or is likely to have been, contaminated by an organism likely to be pathogenic to healthy humans, if such organism is not routinely and freely available in the community, and such organism has a significant probability of being present in sufficient quantities and with sufficient virulence to transmit disease.

West Virginia Infectious Medical Waste includes the following

Cultures and stock of microorganisms and biologicals:

Discarded cultures, stocks, specimens, vaccines and associated items likely to have been contaminated by an infectious agent, discarded etiologic agents, and wastes from the production of biologicals and antibiotics likely to have been contaminated by an infectious agent.

Blood and blood products:

Liquid waste human blood and blood products in a free-flowing or unabsorbed state. Note: All tubing with any visible blood, must be disposed of as infectious waste.

Pathological wastes:

Human pathological wastes, including tissues, organs, body parts, and containers of body fluids, exclusive of those fixed in formaldehyde or another fixative.

Sharps:

Discarded articles that may cause punctures or cuts and that have been used in animal or human patient care or treatment, or in pharmacies or medical, research or industrial laboratories, including, but not limited to, hypodermic needles, syringes with attached needles, scalpel blades, lancets, and broken glassware.

Animal carcasses, body parts, bedding, and related wastes:

Contaminated animal carcasses, body parts, and bedding of animals that are known to have been exposed to infectious agents during research, production of biologicals, testing of pharmaceuticals, or for any other reason.

Isolation wastes:

Wastes generated from the care of a patient who has or is suspected of having any disease listed as Class 4 in “Classification of Etiologic Agents on the Basis of Hazard,” published by the United States Centers for Disease Control.

What is Infectious Medical Waste (IMW)?

Infectious medical waste is waste generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals which has been or is likely to have been contaminated by an organism capable of causing disease in healthy humans. IMW includes items such as: cultures and stocks of microorganisms and biologicals; blood and blood products; pathological wastes; sharps; animal carcasses, body parts, bedding, and related wastes; isolation wastes; any residue resulting from a spill cleanup; and any waste mixed with or contaminated by infectious medical waste.

What is Not Infectious Medical Waste?

Infectious medical waste does not include human remains and body parts being used or examined for medical purposes; human remains lawfully interred in a cemetery or in preparation by a licensed mortician for interment or cremation; used personal hygiene products such as, diapers, facial tissues and sanitary napkins; gauze and dressing material, containing small amounts of blood or other body secretions; hair, nails and extracted teeth; and most waste generated by veterinary hospitals. Also, any radioactive wastes or waste classified as hazardous are not infectious medical waste.

How Do We Get Rid of Infectious Medical Waste?

Before IMW can be disposed of it must be treated to make it noninfectious. Several methods are available for this purpose. Traditional methods include incineration, steam treatment or autoclaving. In addition to these traditional methods there are many alternative methods such as microwaving and use of various chemicals.

Do We have To Have Infectious Medical Waste?

Infectious medical waste is generated daily when people visit their family doctor for vaccines such as, flu shots and childhood immunizations. It is also generated when people have surgery and many other medical procedures. We cannot eliminate infectious medical waste, but we can minimize the amount generated by properly separating it from noninfectious medical waste and by reducing dependence on disposable items.

Who Generates Infectious Medical Waste?

There are many facilities which generate infectious medical waste. Some examples are hospitals, doctors’ offices, dentists, clinics, laboratories, research facilities, veterinarians, ambulance squads and emergency medical service providers, etc. Infectious medical waste is even generated in homes by home health care providers and individuals, such as diabetics, who must receive injections at home.

How Do West Virginians Treat and Dispose of Infectious Medical Waste?

Some hospitals and laboratories can treat, on site, most or all the IMW they generate. Several facilities in the state have medical waste incinerators or autoclaves within their facilities to treat the waste they generate. Most other generators of IMW must contract with an independent medical waste disposal company to pick up their IMW and haul it away for treatment. When this occurs, the waste is hauled out of the state for treatment and disposal.

Does Infectious Medical Waste Have to Be Trucked All Over the State?

Most facilities do not have the capability to treat the waste they generate at the facility. There are many reasons for this, but usually it is less expensive for a facility to contract with someone else than to install a treatment unit. Since there are only a few facilities in the state that can treat IMW, most of the waste generated in West Virginia must be trucked through the state to a treatment facility in another state.

Who Regulates Infectious Medical Waste Handling, Treatment and Disposal In West Virginia?

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources through the Bureau for Public Health’s Office of Environmental Health Services has in place rules regulating the generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of infectious medical waste in the state of West Virginia. All generators of IMW are required to develop an infectious medical waste management plan. Any facility which generates more than fifty pounds per month must submit their plan to the WVDHHR Secretary for review and approval and must apply for an annual permit.

West Virginia About

Located in the Appalachian Mountain range, West Virginia covers an area of 24,229.76 square miles, with 24,077.73 square miles of land and 152.03 square miles of water, making it the 41st-largest state in the United States.

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866-261-0181

Helpful West Virginia Resources

Marshall County Health
513 Sixth Street
Moundsville, WV 26041
(304) 845-7840

Hancock County Health
100 North Court Street
New Cumberland, WV 26047
(304) 564-3343

Brooke County Health
204 Courthouse Square
Wellsburg, WV 26070
(304) 737-3665

West Virginia Interesting Information

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north and east, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,793,716 residents. The capital and largest city is Charleston.


Bio-MED
Medical Waste Disposal

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