Sharps waste

Sharps waste is a form of biomedical waste composed of used "sharps", which includes any device or object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. Sharps waste is classified as biohazardous waste and must be carefully handled. Common medical materials treated as sharps waste are:

In addition to needles and blades, anything attached to them will also be considered sharps waste, such syringes and injection devices.

Blades can include razors, scalpels, X-Acto knife, scissors, or any other medical items used for cutting in the medical setting, regardless of if they have been contaminated with biohazardous material. While glass and sharp plastic are considered sharps waste, their handling methods can vary.

Glass items which have been contaminated with a biohazardous material will be treated with the same concern as needles and blades, even if unbroken. If glass is uncontaminated, it is still often treated as a sharp, because it can break during the disposal process. Contaminated plastic items which are not sharp can be disposed of in a biohazardous waste receptacle instead of a sharps container.

As a biohazardous material, injuries from sharps waste can pose a large public health concern. By penetrating the skin, it is possible for this waste to spread blood-borne pathogens. The spread of these pathogens is directly responsible for the transmission of blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV. Health care professionals expose themselves to the risk of transmission of these diseases when handling sharps waste. The large volume handled by health care professionals on a daily basis increases the chance that an injury may occur.

The general public can occasionally at risk to injuries from sharps waste as well when improperly disposed of by injection drug users.

A sharps container is a hard plastic container that is used to safely dispose of hypodermic needles and other sharp medical instruments, such as an IV catheters and disposable scalpels. Sharps containers may be single use which are disposed of with the waste inside, or reusable which are robotically emptied and sterilized before being returned for re-use.

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