Types of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW)
Although there is no universally
accepted definition for medical waste, the definitions
offered by most regulatory agencies are similar. Most federal
and state agencies differentiate between common medical
waste and those wastes with the potential for causing infection
and for which special precautions are prudent. Depending
on the state, these wastes may be referred to as:
- regulated medical waste (e.g., NY, RI)
- infectious waste (e.g., CO, NE, NV)
- biomedical waste (e.g., CT, FL, GA, ME, WA)
- special medical waste (e.g., MD, TX)
Some state regulations use a general definition, while others list specific wastes and categories of waste that are considered infectious. Some states have adopted the definition found in federal standards (e.g., Nevada adopted the DOT definition).
The following six medical wastes are commonly regulated by states:
- Human Blood and Blood Products Also known as “liquid medical waste”, this waste stream usually encompasses waste blood, serum, plasma, blood products, and other potentially infectious materials.
- Cultures and Stocks of Infectious Agents Also called “microbiological waste”, this waste stream includes specimens from medical and pathology laboratories. Includes culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate, and mix. Also includes discarded live and attenuated vaccines.
- Sharps Contaminated hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpel blades, Pasteur pipettes, and broken glass.
- Isolation waste Generated by hospitalized patients isolated to protect others from communicable disease.
Click on the links above for more detailed discussions of these waste types.
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