Hospital waste disposal by incineration. Waste streams, technology, and state requirements.

Biomedical wastes are generated by hospitals, laboratories, animal research facilities, and by other institutional sources. The disposal of these wastes is coming under critical public scrutiny, and regulations are being promulgated to control their disposal. Incineration is not a final disposal method since it generates a solid residue (ash) which must be buried or otherwise disposed. The incineration process, however, renders the waste non-toxic, non-hazardous, and non-putrescible, and reduces the volume of material for ultimate disposal by an order of magnitude. In some instances, the residue may have high levels of heavy metals; however, this is the exception rather than the rule.