public health issues in waste management - u.osu.edu health issues in waste management dr. harshad...
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Public Health issues in
Waste Management
Dr. Harshad Thakur, MBBS, MD, DBM
Professor,
Centre for Public Health
School of Health Systems Studies
Tata Institute of Social Sciences
MUMBAI, INDIA
What is ‘Waste’?
• Till few years back,
– Waste was considered as unwanted or unusable material.
– Any substance which is discarded after primary use, or
– Worthless, defective and of no use at that point of time.
• NOW, with better understanding, as we are using and
converting resources into waste, it is being considered as a
resource at wrong place.
• Thus waste can be actually useful since our resources are
limited.
• For this, it is essential that we “re convert” waste into a resource
again for future use.
Waste types
• Biodegradable and non-biodegradable
• Solid, liquid and gaseous waste
• Municipal waste includes – Household waste,
– Commercial waste, and
– Demolition waste
• Hazardous waste includes – Industrial waste,
– Radioactive waste,
– Explosive waste, and
– Electronic waste (e-waste)
• Biomedical waste including clinical waste
Importance of Health in Waste Management
• Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs
of the present generation without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
• It is socio-economic development that is conducted without
depletion of natural resources.
• “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not
every man's greed.” by Mahatma Gandhi.
• Health is one of the most important basic need of every living
being including humans.
• Many diseases directly or indirectly related to waste.
Epidemiologic triad for disease occurrence
Host
Agent Environment
•Biological agents•Physical agents•Chemical agents•Nutrient agents•Mechanical agents•Social agents
•Physical environment•Biological environment•Social environment
•Demographic characteristics•Biological characteristics•Socio-economic characteristics•Behavioral characteristics
Communicable diseases
Modes of transmission
Direct transmission
Direct contact
Droplet infection
Contact with soil
Inoculation into skin or mucosa
Trans-placental (vertical)
Indirecttransmission
Water-borne
Vector-borne
Air-borne
Fomite-born
Unclean hands and fingers
Effect of waste on Living world• Effect on health of Human Beings due to …
– Solid waste: e.g., Diseases due to flies
– Liquid waste: e.g., Fecal-oral transmission of communicable diseases, Diseases due to mosquitoes
– Gaseous waste: Air pollution leading to respiratory problems
– Others: Low birth weight, Congenital Malformations, Cancers, etc..
And we should not forget that waste also has ….
• Effect on Plants and Animal kingdom leading to
Deforestation, extinction of species, loss of biodiversity, etc..
Waste Management Hierarchy
Primordial Prevention(Reduce)
Primary Prevention(Reuse)
Secondary Prevention(Recycle, Recover)
Tertiary Prevention(Landfill)
Challenges and Issues
• Migration or dumping of waste
– From developed countries to developing countries (especially hazardous
waste)
– From cities to rural / tribal / forest areas
– From land to sea / rivers / water bodies
– From Earth to Space (maybe in future)
• Modern waste management technology need to be
– More focused on reducing waste generation, re-use and re-cycle
– Available, Accessible, Affordable, Adaptable, etc.
– E.g., it is not made available to all (especially developing countries)
• Lack of awareness among citizens, policy-makers, etc.
What can be done?
• More Research required to understand
– Social, Economic, Political impact of health related issues of waste
management
• Linking Health and Development
– Following and achieving SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals
• Creating awareness among
– Common man, waste handlers
– Policy makers and policy implementers at local / regional / national /
international levels