Transcript HOMETALO JA ASTMA

INFECTIOUS
DISEASES IN
WASTE
MANAGEMENT
Tartu
10.3.-11.3.2004
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
1
WASTE



infectious waste from hospitals etc
sharps waste
solid community waste
– collecting
– dumping ground
– treatment

waste-water treatment
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
2
GENERAL ASPECTS
microbes found depend on the
processes
 exposure to a certain microbe
in waste-water depend on the
prevalence of that disease

Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
3
INFECTIOUS WASTE
cultures
 human or animal pathological
waste
 contaminated material
 sharps
 free flowing waste

Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
4
LIMITING THE HAZARDS
OF INFECTIOUS WASTE

policy
– written
– approved
– based on present knowledge

guidelines
– written and simple instructions

training
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
5
SOLID COMMUNITY WASTE
proper handling of waste (sharps) at
home
 good containers, easy to collect
 no-touch handling of the waste
 personal hygiene (smoking, eating,
drinking, clothing)
 at the dump site; preventing the dust
 tetanus vaccination

Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
6
WASTE-WATER TREATMENT
PLANTS

waste-water contains many pathogenic
microbes, which are common in that
particular community:
–
–
–
–

hepatitis A
hepatitis C
Salmonella spp
intestinal parasites
waste-water treatment plant workers report
more gastrointestinal tract symptoms than
controls
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
7
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
WORKERS

waste-water treatment plant
workers seem to have more
hepatitis A
– depends on the task

they do not experience any
increased risk of clinical disease
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
8
WASTE-WATER TREATMENT
AND SALMONELLA



Salmonella spp can be found in wastewater
in our study they waste-water treatment
plant workers had less antibodies
against salmonella than blood donors
and reported less salmonellosis than
food processing plant workers
could salmonella exposure by inhalation
prevent gastrointestinal salmonellosis?
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
9
WASTE-WATER TREATMENT
PLANT GI-SYMPTOMS

in several studies more gi-symptoms
– habitual stomach pain
– loose or watery stools
– varying bowel habits



cause is probably some virus
more among the young workers (?)
not related to any later disease
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
10
SIMPLE PRINCIPLES
FOR WASTE WORK




avoid cuts
avoid dust, do not let the waste dry
use protective proper protective device
in some cases exclusion of some workers
may be considered:
–
–
–
–

immunocompromised
workers with asthma
workers with allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis
dermatitis
remember tetanus vaccination
Markku Seuri, FIOH, 2004
11