Hiroshi Takatsuki*, Shin-ichi Sakai* and Seizo Katsui**

* The Environmental Preservation Center, Kyoto University
** Plantec Inc.

+ Correspondence should be addressed to Hiroshi Takatsuki:
(Yoshida-honmachi Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-01 Japan)

Abstract

It has been almost one year since an exclusively-for-medical waste-use incinerator was installed at a hospital in an attempt to properly dispose of medical wastes. This paper summarizes and reports on the preparatory studies made for the installation of the incinerator, the basic concepts regarding its design, how it disposes of medical wastes, and the improvements that it has undergone. (1) Daily production of medical wastes was 2.0kg per bed, and the average calorific value was 3,841kcal/kg. (2) Disposal capability of the new vertical incinerator proved to be rather satisfactory. (3) The CO control contributed to reducing the concentration of dioxin contained in the exhaust gas to less than 0.5ng/m3-a permissible amount provided for in the guideline. (4) Measures should be taken against the residual lead contained in fly ash. (5) It is desired that education regarding the in-hospital environment be further promoted, including source-segregated waste disposal.

Key words: medical wastes, new incinerator, dioxin, operational results, heavy metal