Assessment of biomedical waste handling in Ghana

Debrah, Justice Kofi; Wahaj, Zujaja; Sadaf, Lubaba; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta

doi:10.1080/00207233.2022.2135891

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…According to a research carried out by Nkwenti P. et al (2023), Nickel was one of the heavy metals found in surface water in Douala Bonaberi industrial zone [11]. This could adversely impact the environment and public health through uncontrollable disposals, like dumping in the open space and pit burning as seen in other researches carries in Africa [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Heavy Metals Identification and Detection in Incinerated Bottom Ash from Biomedical Solid Waste in Selected Healthcare Facilities in Douala, Cameroon

Peter,

Marie,

Djopnang

et al. 2023

CSIJ

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Aims: To identify and detect heavy metals in incinerated bottom ash of Biomedical Solid Waste in selected healthcare facilities in Douala, Cameroon. Study Design: Cross-sectional fieldwork and laboratory based study design approach that involved quantitative and qualitative data collection methods Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Douala, Littoral region of Cameroon from the month of January 2023 to June 2023. Methodology: 5 grams of filtered incinerated bottom ash from BSW were collected from incinerators of the selected healthcare facilities using labeled plastic polyethylene containers and transported to the laboratory for analysis. Samples were air dried and introduced on polypropylene film to the EDX 7000 spectrometer for sensitive analysis. Results: Both the quantitative and qualitative concentration percentage of the heavy metals detected from Na to Uranium in each HCF was determined by the EDX 7000 spectrometer device. Zinc had a significant concentration percentage in BDH (7.491±0.009333%), LH (4.255±0.009%), GH (7.506±0.013%), AHD (6,903±0.012%) and Iron had a significant concentration percentage in GOHD (3.669±0.013%). Conclusion: It is concluded that improper disposal of incinerated BA from incinerators may pollute the environment and water bodies through leaching into ground water or being carried into water bodies through runoffs, being inhaled in dust from the dump area, and bioaccumulating in plants and animals that stray to the dump site, potentially having a negative impact on the environment and health risks like cancer and respiratory illnesses. Some of the heavy elements found in bottom ash that had been burned during this investigation were above the USEPA-permitted limits. Assuring proper BA disposal through hygienic landfills may help reduce the amount of heavy metals and other toxic elements in the environment, hence safeguarding human health. To prevent additional environmental damage and human exposure to these elements, waste management practices must be improved through BA recycling. Additionally, it is advised that waste managers in the healthcare industry receive training in safe incinerator bottom ash handling and disposal techniques. Regulatory organizations should also oversee and implement policies for bottom ash management in neighborhood healthcare facilities. In Cameroon, a developing nation that must concentrate on environmental challenges that also benefit human health, this study is fundamentally significant. Sustainable prevention of waste and heavy metals in various HCFs will result from source segregation, knowledge of the problem, and safeguards taken at every stage of the waste cycle.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Heavy Metals Identification and Detection in Incinerated Bottom Ash from Biomedical Solid Waste in Selected Healthcare Facilities in Douala, Cameroon

Peter,

Marie,

Djopnang

et al. 2023

CSIJ

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“…This could adversely affect the environment and public health through uncontrollable disposals, like dumping in the open space and pit burning (Debrah et al, 2021a , b , c ; Debrah et al, 2022a , b , c , d , e , f ; Leal Filho et al, 2022a ), so common in Africa. The improper handling of BMW has hindered achieving of some of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in most developing countries, specifically good health and well-being (SDG3), clean water and sanitation (SDG6) and climate action (SDG13) (Leal Filho et al, 2022b , c ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical characteristics of bottom ash from biomedical waste incinerators in Ghana

Debrah

Dinis

2023

Environ Monit Assess

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Biomedical waste (BMW) incineration is the most used alternative disposal method in developing countries, such as Ghana. The improper disposal of incinerator-generated bottom ash (BA) is a significant concern due to the hazardous nature of waste. A study was conducted at Tema Hospital (TGH) and Asuogyaman Hospital (VRAH) incinerator sites. The BA samples were sent to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Institute of Industrial Research, Ghana. The BA samples were weighed with fisher analytical balance, ground, and sieved with standard grade meshes of 120, 100, and 80 to determine the BA particle size distribution. The chemical composition and heavy metals were analysed using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The results indicated the chemical composition of the analysed BA samples was CaCO 3 (49.90%), CaO (27.96%) and MgCO 3 (6.02%) for TGH and CaCO 3 (48.30%), CaO (27.07%), and SiO 2 (6.10%) for VRAH, respectively. The mean concentration ( M ) (kg m −3 ) and standard deviation ( SD ) for TGH in the BA were 7.082 ± 0.478 (Ti), 4.657 ± 0.127 (Zn) and 4.271 ± 1.263 (Fe), while that of VRAH consisted of 10.469 ± 1.588 (Ti), 7.896 ± 2.154 (Fe) and 4.389 ± 0.371 (Zn). Therefore, the heavy metals’ mean concentration at the BA is above the WHO permissible limits of soil, i.e., 0.056 kg m −3 (Ti), 0.085 kg m −3 (Pb), 0.100 kg m −3 (Cr) and 0.036 kg m −3 (Cu). Furthermore, the heavy metal mean concentrations of TGH and VRAH present in the BA analysed samples were ranked in descending order: Ti > Zn > Fe and Ti > Fe > Zn, respectively. It is therefore recommended that BA must be properly disposed of because of the hazardous nature of heavy metals present in the analysed samples, which are able to cause environmental and public health issues.

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