A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LAGOS METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

A survey of medical waste management (mwm) practices and their implications to health and environmentwas carried out in metropolitan lagos. lagos is currently the most populous and urbanized city in thecountry with an estimated population of ova 13 million people. the study assessed management practicesin four (2 privates and 2 publics) hospitals ranging in capacity from 40 to 600 beds. empirical data wasobtained on medical waste generation, segregation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal. theobserved mwm practices in all hospitals indicate absence of full compliance with the protocol for handlingmedical waste as stipulated in the relevant sections of the guidelines and standards for environmentalpollution control in nigeria. three hospitals demonstrated high priority for segregation of infectiousmedical waste. average generation rate of medical waste in the investigated hospitals ranged from 0.562kgibed.day to 0.670 kg/bed.day. infectious waste accounts for between 26 to 37(% of this volume. only twoof the hospitals investigated carry out treatment of their infectious and sharp waste types by incinerationbefore final disposal. burning and burial of medical waste is an unusual but common practice among thehospitals. all the hospitals employ the services of the state owned solid waste management company, thelagos state waste management authority (lawma) for final collection, and disposal of their medicalwaste at government approved sites.