Emerging Threats to Bio-medical Waste Management

This year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) identified four new emerging threats:

• A new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD or Mad Cow Disease).


• A new and virulent strain of influenza.


• Staphylococcus aureus with reduced susceptibility to vancomycin.


• A new strain of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

Now that there have been documented cases using DNA sequencing in Morton, WA (see October 2000 JAMA) of people contracting contagious diseases such as tuberculosis through RMW, the need for proper waste handling and treatment is all the more important to manage with these emerging threats from an infection control perspective.

Recent emerging diseases have introduced us to microorganisms that have proven to be more resistant to standard heat and chemical treatment. In addition, these microorganisms are surviving much longer outside of their host, humans. Most notably in today's media we are seeing more and more cases involving the effects of deadly prions. Therefore, it is extremely important that the technology chosen to treat biomedical waste meet the parameters required to completely destroy these microorganisms within the waste load.

- Created: March 26, 2002