Medical waste management is no small task. It takes focus, government regulation, personal responsibility and experts who understand the ins and outs of the trade. When it comes to medical waste disposal some countries simply do not have their act together. Luckily for us there is a great system of medical waste disposal that is mostly adhered to through out the United States. Most other countries are simply not so lucky.

Recently in Kolkata there was a batch of used syringes that through some sort of mismanaged medical waste dumping ended up in batches with brand new syringes and were circulated to hospitals. This is obviously dangerous and unacceptable. It is also against the law but in India they are having trouble holding illegal dumpers accountable for their bad execution of medical waste disposal. The reuse of syringes is a particularly scary prospect. Not only are these syringes covered in potentially troublesome germs they are no longer functioning at their expected quality. Needles are loose and pumps function less.

Lucky for us medical waste disposal is rarely so haphazard in the States. We have accountable agencies trained and fully capable of disposing this sort of waste whenever the situation presents it’s self. Next time you’re getting a shot remember just how lucky you are.