Evaluation of emissions from medical waste incinerators in Alexandria

The emissions from medical waste incinerators might perform a threat to the environment and the Public Health, the aim of the present work is to evaluate the emissions of six medical waste incinerators in six hospitals in Alexandria, Namely; Gamal Abd El-Naser, Sharq El-Madina, Central Blood Bank, Fever, Medical Research Institute, and Al-Mo'asat, ordered serially from 1 to 6. Five air pollutants were sampled and analyzed in the emissions comprising smoke, lead, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. The results of the present study have revealed that all the average values of gases in the six incinerators were within the limits stated in Egyptian environmental law, where as carbonaceous particulate (smoke) averages of the six incinerators have exceeded the maximum allowable limit in the law. On the other hand, lead concentration in emissions were far below the maximum allowable limit in the law. Al-Mo'asat incinerator emissions have been significantly higher in CO, NO2, SO2 and smoke concentration than the other five incinerators P < 0.001, P < 0.0006, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.002 respectively. The main recommendations of the present work are to reassess the limits of emissions in the Egyptian law and to state specific limits for medical wast incinerators and to relocate the medical waste incinerators away from residential areas or to substitute them all by a central incinerator in a proper place out of the city.