MANAGEMENT OF BIODISASTER WASTES

摘要

The disposal of debris that results from physical natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods has received considerable attention recently from government agencies and waste collection companies. These wastes include debris from damaged buildings, water-damaged furnishings, and spoiled food. Conventional waste management methods are adequate to dispose of these wastes in either sanitary landfills or in construction/demolition debris landfills. However, the management of wastes that could result from biological natural disasters has been largely overlooked. To coin a phrase, a biodisaster is a widespread disease outbreak among animals, although in some cases the disease could potentially spread to humans. Examples include mad cow disease and avian flu. Wastes that could result from such a biodisaster include whole carcasses, tissues, blood, straw and animal bedding, and materials contaminated during waste handling (e.g. gloves and wipes). If the disease spreads to humans, the healthcare system could also generate wastes that would be considered biomedical wastes under current regulations. Existing solid waste and biomedical waste disposal systems can handle small quantities of biodisaster wastes, but are probably inadequate to dispose of flocks of diseased birds or herds of diseased cattle in a timely fashion. This paper presents overviews of: 1. Animal diseases and the types of wastes associated with biodisasters. 2. Technologies suitable for treating biodisaster waste, including composting, incineration, and landfilling. 3. Current public health agency planning measures for isolating, collecting, and transporting biodisaster wastes. 4. Suggested future improvements for infrastructure, communication, and disposal technology.