The Chairman, Association of Medical Laboratory Scientist of Nigeria (AMLSN), Plateau state chapter, Mr. Solomon Chollom has warned against improper disposal of medical waste.
Mr. Chollom, a medical laboratory scientist at the National Veterinary Research Institute, gave the warning in Jos in an interview with newsmen.
He said that communities and the environment could be compromised through improper disposal of medical waste.
He said that significant amount of medical waste are generated throughmaterials used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.
He added that such waste pose significant amount of risk to human health and the environment if not disposed appropriately.
“When working in the Laboratory you are working with infectious micro-organisms, in the process you generate a lot of waste, some of which are part of the organisms.
“If medical waste is not well disposed, you could be generating samples that could easily infect a whole community,” he said.
Chollom said that some officials in charge of waste management in some health facilities are not well trained on the proper way of disposing medical waste.
He explained that medical waste should not be incinerated, saying that if they are incinerated, they could lead to virus entering the community through the air.
“People and the environment are vulnerable to airborne pathogens, this danger must be avoided at all cost,” he said.
He said that disposal of medical waste should be handled by properly trained officials to mitigate the spread of diseases and pollution of the environment.
