Medical waste management in clinical and educational laboratories affiliated to Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2015

Background: Laboratory wastes are one of the environmental issues of developing countries and cause diseases and epidemics. Laboratory waste management is planned with the aim of preventing unfavorable effects on human health and the environment. The aim of the present study was to determine the status of medical waste management in clinical laboratories affiliated with Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2015. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted through a census in all clinical laboratories of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a checklist that was designed and confirmed by the Iranian Health and Treatment Ministry. After administrative coordination, the checklist was completed through visits and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive tests in SPSS software. Results: The results showed that, in 40% of cases, individuals responsible for the collection of waste had received the necessary training. In addition, in 28.6% of cases, containers were labeled in order to determine the type of waste inside the container. In 57.1% of laboratories, there was no list of chemicals which must not be mixed during waste collection. The waste was disinfected using an autoclave in only 14.3% of cases.  Conclusions: In the present study, the waste classification operation of the majority of laboratories was incomplete. In order to reduce contamination in these centers, measures must be taken regarding the disposal of waste at the site of its production. Furthermore, individuals responsible for collection and transference of waste must comply with personal protection measures.