do the hazardous waste regulations conflict with the CDCs universal/standard precautions?
Clinical waste is a costly and troublesome commodity. Comprising the detritus of medical care, the foremost hazard is the risk of infection from micro-organisms present in these wastes. Infection commonly occurs through penetrating injury, the so-called ‘sharps’ or ‘needlestick’ injury, although contamination of non-intact skin or splashes to the eye may transmit infection. Bloodborne viruses (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, human immunodeficiency virus) are the most serious threat, although respiratory, soft tissue and enteric infections are not unknown. The European Hazardous Waste Directive, that harmonizes the categorization and control of wastes, permits downregulation of clinical wastes where the risk of infection may be low. Although strengthened by the requirement for risk assessment in waste classification, UK regulatory guidance promoting classification of some clinical wastes as non-hazardous completely ignores the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Universal Precautions
