The lack of chemical waste disposal facilities in the Bahamas could be seriously endangering lives
Rob Evans, service manager of Bahamas Waste Limited says that his company currently has a medical waste facility, but the service is rarely used.
“Even though we have the facilities to deal with medical waste, physicians still choose to dump their waste at the city dump because it’s free. However, it’s past time that this situation be dealt with,” he said.
Dwayne Curtis, assistant director of the Department of Environmental Health, admitted that in some cases chemical wastes have been stored in containers for more than 50 years because there are no proper facilities to handle such waste in the Bahamas.
However, he said that the chemical waste from places such as Princess Margaret Hospital is being stored in approved containers until a proper facility can be constructed.
“The incorrect disposal of chemical wastes can be hazardous and possibly life threatening.
“Some chemical wastes may be fire hazardous, toxic or even radioactive depending on what it contains. It is important to handle such wastes with the proper care and management,” he said.
According to the Environmental Monitoring & Risk Assessment Department, before a chemical waste can be disposed of it should be assessed by the department along with a Health Inspector.
Source: Karan Minnis, The Tribune
