3 Therapeutic plasma exchange.
4 Intraoperative or postoperative red cell salvage.
(c) Avoid direct contact with blood.
(13) Waste management.
(a) Medical waste as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
1 Definition - Any solid waste (including semi-solids and liquids)
generated in the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals in
related research or production or testing of biologicals.
2 EPA interprets infectious waste to include waste that probably
contains pathogenic organisms.
3 Waste contaminated with blood or body fluids is considered
potentially infectious.
4 HIV and HBV survive for prolonged periods at ambient temperature
and are potentially infectious even after drying.
5 Reduce the volume of hazardous material to be handled to an
absolute minimum.
(b) Essential precautions for handling infectious waste.
1 Identify infectious waste consistently; red or orange seamless plastic
bags (doubled) are recommended; always use biohazard symbol.
2 Place in protective container to preserve integrity when storing or
transporting.
3 Discard sharps only in rigid puncture-proof containers.
4 Put liquids only in leak-proof unbreakable containers.
5 Do not compact.
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MD0868
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