Responsible
For example, incineration reduces the volume of medical waste by about 90 percent and reduces the weight by about 75 percent. The residual fine ash is sent to landfills. In contrast, medical waste treated in an autoclave – which uses steam and heat to sterilize medical waste – does not sustain such significant reductions in weight or volume. After being processed in an autoclave, treated waste may be sent to a landfill or to a municipal waste incinerator, which is not subject to the same stringent emissions restrictions that govern medical waste incinerators.
Using autoclaves to treat regulated medical waste presents additional challenges. According to a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, autoclaving is a significantly less reliable method than incineration for sterilizing medical waste. It is known that autoclaves produce emissions; however, emissions at autoclave facilities are not regulated. If medical waste sent to an autoclave facility contains mercury, it is possible that the facility will produce unmonitored mercury emissions.
It is worth noting that the National Institute of Health – preeminent arbiter of standards in medical research – requires that all regulated medical waste generated at its facilities must be destroyed by incineration.
