WO2003000167A1 - Method for processing easy-to-reduce resin molded article for infectious medical practice and its apparautus - Google Patents

Abstract

The method for processing infectious medical waste according to the invention is a method for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste characterized in that infectious medical waste (A) mainly composed of hydrophilic resin molded articles fused by hot water or steam of above 50 °C is processed at 70 °C to 150 °C in the presence of water (B). The volume reducing apparatus for infectious medical waste is an apparatus for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste (A) by processing at 70 °C to 150 °C medical waste composed of hydrophilic resin fusible by hot water or steam of above 50ºC comprises a casing, a heating unit, and means for controlling heating means and supply of heat.

Description

Description ^: Method for treating infectious medical easily-reducible resin molded product and apparatus therefor

 The present invention is intended to reduce the volume of infectious medical waste that has been contaminated or possibly contaminated with infectious pathogens, infectious body fluids, etc. at medical institutions, etc. This method is intended to reduce the amount of waste containers used and the number of collections by waste disposal companies, and to improve the efficiency of infectious medical waste disposal systems. About. Background art

In hospitals and other medical institutions, there are tasks that may cause contamination of equipment and clothing by infectious agents that cause infectious diseases, infectious bodily fluids containing viruses such as hepatitis and AIDS, and the like. The various items used in such operations have been rigorously disinfected and sterilized and then reused or incinerated as infectious waste. Of these, infectious waste is stored in a polyethylene bag separate from other garbage, placed in a sturdy cardboard box, and commissioned to be incinerated by a disposal company licensed by a public agency. I have. A large portion of such infectious waste is made up of plastic products contaminated with blood, very bulky items such as surgical gowns and sheets, but these infectious medical wastes, especially textiles, Despite the small amount on a weight basis, it accounts for a very large amount on a volume basis. Therefore, the amount of polyethylene bags used to store infectious waste and cardboard to protect the bags is extremely large, requiring extra large space to temporarily store the waste, or waste. A car that collects and transports sickness The number of visits to the hospital was unnecessarily large. In other words, conventional waste treatment systems are very inefficient and costly to use for those that do not generate profits.

 As a method for solving this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 5-344500 discloses a method for producing linoleic and quinol using polyvinyl alcohol fibers that are water-soluble only at a temperature exceeding 50 ° C. A method has been proposed in which gowns, gowns and other articles are manufactured, dissolved in high-temperature water, and disposed of as sewage. However, this method not only increases the environmental burden due to the flow of wastewater containing high concentrations of organic matter, but also reduces infectious waste without sterilizing infectious microorganisms and inactivating hepatitis viruses and prions. It will be dumped in sewage, creating major environmental and sanitary problems. As more advanced methods, devices that reduce the volume of infectious waste by heating and melting it into block-like lumps and devices that reduce the volume of waste by crushing the waste have been proposed and marketed. However, such commercially available devices are very large and expensive, and the electricity required to operate them is expensive, and there is a significant economic problem in spreading them widely to hospitals and medical institutions nationwide. Was something.

 The present inventor has recognized that incineration and high-temperature pyrolysis are more appropriate for disposal of infectious medical waste than dumping it into the sewer, investigated. As a result, both parties are required to treat any type of infectious waste as a treatment target, and to sterilize infectious pathogens for the purpose of turning infectious waste into general waste or landfilling it as it is. As a prerequisite, it was found that this required heating to around 200 ° C and a specification to apply a pressure of several tens of tons, leading to an increase in the size and cost of the equipment.

On the other hand, unlike the large-volume treatment measures that require large equipment as described above, there is a proposal for a waste bag that considers only volume reduction of waste as a measure that can be taken at the site where waste is generated. This is to reduce the volume of waste by reducing the pressure inside the waste bag and compressing the bag from the outside with atmospheric pressure. This is a revolutionary method in that the volume of waste can be reduced. This method is limited to those that easily deform by compression to reduce the apparent volume, such as textiles and flexible containers. At one time, it accounts for a very large amount of the total waste, and the effect is very large. As a method for reducing the volume, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-26553365 describes a polyethylene having an open top for storing medical waste and a valve for removing air inside the container. A “medical waste container” consisting of plastic bags has been proposed. According to the present invention, waste is put into a container from a slit at the top of the container, the slit is sealed with an adhesive tape, and the air inside the container is evacuated with a syringe needle from a rubber ball-like valve provided on the container. The purpose is to reduce the volume by compressing the container by the atmospheric pressure, and to save the space for storing waste and the transportation cost. Although it is not related to volume reduction of infectious waste, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-32301 contains waste and contains it in waste before it is put into an incinerator. A garbage bin ゃ garbage bag, which is at least partially made of a porous film, has been proposed, which is a “waste container” that can release the generated water in a vapor state.

 However, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.

 (1) The volume of waste is removed by removing the air present in the gaps between the wastes. However, since the waste itself is not changed to another state, it greatly decreases beyond the wall of the closest packing ratio. It is impossible to achieve volume reduction and the degree of volume reduction is limited,

(2) Even after the volume reduction, the infectivity of the waste is maintained and the danger of work remains high.

(3) It takes a lot of time, such as using a syringe to remove air from the container. In handling infectious waste, the task of expelling the air from the waste bag disperses droplets with pathogens attached. It is contraindicated because of the possibility that waste bags should not be squeezed in principle. し た When the bag is evacuated and a sharp object such as a syringe needle or a scalpel blade that is mixed inside the bag is pressed against the surface of the bag and exposed from the bag, it may cause infectious contents. I cannot deny the possibility of causing more infection accidents,

However, there was room for improvement in terms of volume reduction, operability and safety.

 Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-32301 is intended for general garbage, the idea of actively reducing the volume of waste, and droplets containing infectious pathogens contained in waste. There was no idea to increase the safety by filtering the water.

 Therefore, the present invention aims to spread the volume of infectious waste to small and medium-sized hospitals nationwide, and to reduce the volume of waste safely using compact and inexpensive equipment. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical material, a bag therefor, and a method for reducing the volume of waste using the device. Disclosure of the invention

 That is, the present invention provides an infectious medical waste (A) mainly composed of a resin molded product made of a hydrophilic resin that is melted by hot water or steam at 50 ° C. or higher in the presence of water (B). This is a method for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste, which is characterized by treating at a temperature of 70 to 150 ° C.

 A bag for storing the infectious medical waste (A) and the water (B) of the present invention, which is made of a thermoplastic film, wherein a pathogen filtering means can be attached to or detached from a side surface or an opening of the bag body. This is a method for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste, characterized in that it is stored in a storage bag provided in a non-removable state.

 Furthermore, the infectious medical waste of the present invention is characterized in that the hydrophilic resin that melts by hot water or water vapor at 50 ° C or higher is a fibrous product or a resin molded product made of a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin. It is a method of treating sexual medical waste.

Furthermore, hot water or water vapor at 50 ° C or higher, which is the main infectious medical waste of the present invention, is used. This is a method for treating infectious medical waste in which the hydrophilic resin melted by air is a polyvinyl alcohol homopolymer or an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer having an ethylene copolymerization ratio of 1 to 24 mol%.

 The infectious medical waste in which the thermoplastic film constituting the storage bag for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste of the present invention is formed of a film made of a thermoplastic polymer having a heat resistant temperature of 100 ° C. or higher. It is a method of processing objects.

 Further, a check valve is provided in the filtering means attached to the side surface or the opening of the storage bag body for reducing volume of infectious medical waste of the present invention, and the storage bag for volume reduction is infected with the check bag. This is a method of treating infectious medical waste in which the pressure inside the bag is reduced after putting the infectious medical waste.

 Then, the present invention treats medical waste consisting of a hydrophilic resin that is melted with hot water or steam at 50 ° C. or higher at a temperature of 70 ° C. to 150 ° C., and treats the infectious medical waste (A ), A housing provided with an electromagnetic wave absorption function or an electromagnetic wave shielding function to prevent the emission of electromagnetic waves generated from the infectious medical waste volume reduction device, and a housing inside the device. Infectious medicine comprising a heating unit consisting of a heating chamber, which may have a rotating or vibrating heating pot, which is detachably mounted, a heating means which is a microwave, and a means for controlling the supply of heat. It is a volume reduction device for waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

 FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic views showing an example of a storage bag used to reduce the volume of infectious medical waste of the present invention.

 FIG. 3 is an example of a volume reduction device of the present invention, which is a horizontal device.

 FIG. 4 shows an example of a volume reduction device according to the present invention, which is a vertical device.

 FIG. 5 is an example of a volume reduction device of the present invention, which is a horizontal device.

FIG. 6 shows an example of an extruder-type apparatus, which is an example of the volume reducing apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 7 shows an example of a volume reduction device of the present invention, which is a rotary drum type device. FIG. 8 shows an example of the volume reducing device of the present invention, which is a device with a shredder type shredder.

 FIG. 9 shows an example of the volume reducing device of the present invention, which is a device for melting in a hopper. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

 In the method for facilitating transportation by reducing the volume of infectious medical waste according to the present invention, the target medical product made of a hydrophilic resin functions as a container or a fiber product under ordinary use conditions such as body temperature. When disposing of the medical products, the space occupied by the wastes is reduced and the apparent volume is reduced by expelling air inside the medical products and between the products. In this operation, if the hydrophilic resin is heated by adding water as a plasticizer, its melting temperature will be lower than usual and it will melt at a very low temperature, or it will become a solution with high concentration and high viscosity. It utilizes the phenomenon of resilience. As a hydrophilic resin constituting a medical product that satisfies these conditions, it is practically insoluble in water at 50 ° C or lower, but has a water content of 5% or more (20 ° C, humidity 65%). % Moisture absorption under the same conditions) .Homopolymers or copolymers of polyvinyl alcohol are particularly preferred, and when a copolymer of polyvinyl alcohol is used, melt spinning is preferred. An ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer having an ethylene content of! To 24 mol%, more preferably an ethylene content of 3 to 14 mol%, is preferable because a disposable fiber product can be obtained at a low cost. Polyvinyl alcohol-based resin is also excellent in this respect because it is a halogen-free resin and does not generate harmful substances typified by dioxin when incinerated.

This resin is mainly used as a resin molded product or a fiber product. When used as a resin molded product, the shape is not particularly limited, and the structure may be porous or non-porous. Is also good. Medical volume-decreasing tree of the present invention The shape of the fat molding is used, for example, for placing trays and cups used to place tissue and waste removed from patients, scalpels with blood, iron, tweezers, and other devices. Containers and instruments such as trays, bags and boxes, face guards, disposable tweezers and forceps, urinalysis cups used for medical examinations, sample tubes and petri dishes, incubators, etc. Examples include tableware and the like used by patients who are isolated due to infectious diseases, and molded articles such as utensils such as tubes and sheets having a non-porous structure, especially bulky compared to the weight. It may be a large molded product.

 When used as a fiber product, for example, a fiber obtained by a usual spinning method is further converted into a woven fabric, a knitted fabric or a nonwoven fabric, or a nonwoven fabric is formed directly from a resin by a method such as a spunbond method or flash spinning. Those can be preferably used. In particular, a fiber product obtained by melting an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer to form a nonwoven fabric at the same time as melt spinning is suitable for the present invention because it has moderate hydrophilicity and is inexpensive. There is no particular limitation on the fiber diameter ゃ fiber length of the fibrous material, and these can be arbitrarily selected according to the intended use of the molded product.

 Specific examples of textile products include evening ol, curtains, sleepwear, headcovers, masks, bandages, tapes, underpats, and other materials that may be contaminated with body fluids of patients who may have contracted an infectious disease. Examples include diapers, sheets, gauze, absorbent cotton, napkins, tissue paper, wipers, etc., which may be contaminated during surgery, such as surgical gowns, drapes, sheets, patient clothing, aprons, gauze, absorbent cotton, etc. Further, an operating table and a wiping cloth for wiping blood around the operating table are exemplified, and all textile products discarded in single use are included in the textile products according to the present invention. In addition, such a fiber product may be a product obtained by mixing or laminating fibers made of a resin other than the hydrophilic resin by cotton mixing, cross-knitting or the like in order to improve comfort and other performances.

The waste to be reduced in volume according to the present invention includes various textile products for medical use, Garbage with infectious bodily fluids generated by inspection and food inspection institutions, waste containing infectious pathogens such as zoonotic diseases such as zoonotic diseases that occur in animal hospitals and animal breeding facilities, and nursing care facilities Of unsanitary waste and sanitary pests (mite, etc.), medical garbage generated in home care homes, and pathogenic Legionella and Salmonella bacteria that appear safe in household goods. Among the garbage that can be contained, those that can be reduced in volume without destroying them, and those that do not contain dangerous substances such as piercing bags, but other unpleasant garbage that emits an unpleasant odor like diapers Is also included.

 Although the volume of the medical waste provided in the present invention is reduced in the presence of water, the operation of adding water may be, for example, simply wetting with water at room temperature in the case of textiles. The water used for this purpose may be simple tap water, it may be sewage mixed with patient's blood, urine or other contaminants, or water used for cleaning the floor around the operating table may be made of textile. May be used, or water containing a disinfectant to sterilize pathogenic bacteria may be used. Regarding the method of adding water, when hot water is added to the water-soluble fiber product of the present invention, a gel layer is formed only on the surface of the fiber product mass in contact with the hot water, and this gel layer is applied to the inside of the fiber mass of the hot water. The efficiency of volume reduction may be reduced because it prevents intrusion. Therefore, it is preferred that the water be added to the textile using cold water so that the water is distributed as evenly as possible throughout the textile.

The medical volume-reducing resin molded product of the present invention may be used, for example, when a tissue collected from a patient is placed on a tray-like container, blood permeates to contaminate articles other than the container, Also, if blood adheres to surgical gowns or sheets, it must not penetrate the blood. As a preventive measure, it is preferable to provide a substantially water-impermeable layer on the surface or inside of the medical volume-reducible resin molded product. For this purpose, the resin molded product is made of two or more nonwoven fabrics and / or textiles. In the case of textile products formed by laminating fabrics, water resistance is provided by providing a water-impermeable layer on the surface or inside, or by treating the laminated nonwoven layer with a water repellent. Better to improve No.

 The water-impermeable layer provided in the medical volume-reducible resin molded article of the present invention may have a property of allowing water vapor to permeate but not allowing water droplets to permeate. The material constituting such a water-impermeable layer may be a non-woven fabric of polyolefin, but the resin is not deformed by water at body temperature and is shrunk or dissolved by hot water or high-temperature steam. Such resins include trans polyisoprene having a softening point in the range of 50 to 100 ° C., ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polyproprolactone resin and plasticizer. And a film made of a polyvinyl alcohol resin is preferably used as the water-soluble resin. Examples of the water repellent include a fluorine-based water- and oil-repellent, an ethylene urea-based, a melamine-based, a methylolamide-based, and a silicon-based, and an arbitrary one is selected from these.

 Ideally, the amount of water contained in the textile should be such that it wets the textile evenly but does not drip from the textile.Specifically, the mass ratio of infectious medical waste Z water is It is preferably in the range of 70 Z30 to 20 Z80, and more preferably in the range of 67/33 to 25 Z75. If the amount of water used is too large, the weight of the waste will be too heavy, and the shape of the waste taken out after volume reduction will not be solid, making it difficult to handle, and will require a large amount of energy when incinerated later. Required. Conversely, if the amount of water used is too small, parts that are not wet with water will be conspicuous, and the volume reduction rate of waste will be insufficient. However, when the sweat of the surgeon or nurse is absorbed by textiles such as underwear and gowns, and this amount is not negligible, or when the patient gets wet due to sweating, incontinence, or bleeding of the patient. It is preferable that the total amount of newly added water be within the above range in consideration of the contained water.

The higher the temperature at which the hydrophilic resin is brought into the wet heat melting state, the more advantageous it is to achieve the melting state in a short time. Specifically, 70 ° C. or higher is employed, and preferably 9 ° C. or more. 0 ° C or more, more preferably 100 ° C or more, but if the temperature is higher than 150 ° C, the running cost required to generate a high temperature increases, and water vaporization increases. The resulting volume expansion is rapid and remarkable, which may make it difficult to control the operation of the apparatus, which is not preferable. Preferably it is 140 ° C. or lower.

 In addition, when temperature conditions exceeding 90 ° C are used, general bacteria and viruses contained in infectious waste are disinfected very efficiently, and the number of affected bacteria falls below the minimum number of bacteria within a short period of time. The advantage is that the safety of waste disposal is improved by the drastic reduction of infectivity as well as the volume reduction by wastewater treatment.

 Furthermore, if a temperature exceeding 10 ° C is used, the medical waste that has been made into a wet-heated molten state by heating with water expands due to the pressure of the internal water to evaporate, and the rice cake is formed when the rice cake is baked. A phenomenon such as swelling and popping occurs, but with this phenomenon, the air contained inside escapes and eventually the volume is greatly reduced.

The infectious medical waste of the present invention is stored in a storage bag and can be reduced in volume by the above method. The storage bag body used in the present invention needs to be made of a thermoplastic film, and is preferably made of a heat-resistant thermoplastic film that can withstand the temperature reached by the heating means of the present invention. The thermoplastic polymer from which such a bag can be produced is preferably a thermoplastic polymer having a heat resistance temperature of 100 ° C. or more, more preferably 105 ° C. or more. Examples of such a material include polyolefin, and among them, high-density polyethylene, medium-density polyethylene, and polypropylene are preferable, and low-cost bag materials other than polyolefin include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate. Examples thereof include polyesters such as sauce and polymethylene terephthalate. Low-density polyethylene has low heat resistance of 90 ° C or less, and is suitable as a storage bag for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste of the present invention. Note that the heat-resistant temperature referred to in the present invention is ASTMD 759 test The values measured according to the law are shown. A bag for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste of the present invention is formed from a film produced from these materials by an inflation molding method or a biaxial stretching method. Can be produced. If these materials are too hard to seal tightly when tying the mouth of the bag, it may be possible to use a plywood or other laminated material to reduce this.

 In the present invention, a pathogen filtering means is provided on the side surface or the opening of the storage bag main body, and the filtering means is a filter material which does not allow infectious bodily fluids to pass through. It can remove blood that contains pathogens in the form of fine droplets and scattered, and may be one that performs filtration by adsorption instead of physical filtration. Blood contains a large number of white blood cells and red blood cells with a diameter of about 10 m, and blood droplets are thought to aggregate with these blood cell components as nuclei.Therefore, filtration means that can remove dust with a diameter of 10 m or less can be removed. It is necessary to use Considering the droplets of bodily fluids as approximating the size of water droplets, the finest mist particles among water droplets have a diameter of 1 xm or more.Therefore, filtration means that can remove more than 99% of particles with a diameter of 1 / are used. More preferred. Of course, there is no harm in using a higher performance HEP II filter, ULPA filter, or electret filter. The shape of the filtering means is not particularly limited, but is preferably cylindrical or sheet-like from the viewpoint of ease of attachment to the bag.

It is preferable that the material constituting these filtering means does not leave much ash when incinerated. An example of a material for the filtration means is a nonwoven fabric.A nonwoven fabric can be manufactured by various manufacturing methods such as a wet method, a card method, a spunbond method, a melt blown method, and a flash spinning method. Nonwoven fabrics made of fiber by melt blown or flash spinning methods have a number of uniform micropores and are preferred in terms of air permeability and bacterial barrier properties.Electret-treated fabrics are particularly preferred. . The filter member is preferably made of a water-repellent polymer such as polypropylene or polyester, or a water-repellent material, since even if water droplets adhere to the surface, the filter member is not clogged. The non-woven fabric used as a material for the film is one layer and reinforced For other purposes, two or more layers may be laminated with another nonwoven fabric, paper, reinforcing sheet, or the like.

 In the present invention, a deodorizing material may be used in combination with the filtering means. For example, those which adsorb, absorb or react with fecal odor, putrefaction odor, and chemical odor are preferably used. Such materials include activated carbon, non-woven fabrics and sponges made of ion-exchange resin, non-volatile or high-boiling basic substances, acidic substances, plant extracts, and substances that can react with thiols. A nonwoven fabric or sponge impregnated with one or more agents can be used. Deodorants include cunic acid, malic acid, vitamin C and other acidic substances, sodium carbonate, polyethyleneimine, hexamethylenetetramine, other basic substances, alum water, hydrous glyoxal, and other substances that can react with thiols , Copper pin mouth finnulin sodium, champignon extract, catechin, polyphenol, persimmon extract, other plant extracts, cyclodextrin, amphoteric surfactant, abietic acid salts and the like. It is even more preferable that the above-mentioned filter also has deodorizing performance.

In the present invention, in the volume reduction process, the inside of the storage bag can be reduced in pressure, but it is preferable to attach a check valve to the filtering means so that outside air does not enter the storage bag in the reduced pressure, For example, a flat plastic or rubber piece closes a hole on a flat plate, a curved surface closes a hole provided on a curved surface like a ball valve, or a side of a pipe like a check valve on a bicycle tube. Any type can be used, such as a type in which a resilient force bar closes a hole formed in a hole. Alternatively, the filter may be an irreversible valve of a type in which the resin member is in contact with the filtering means and the filter is clogged by dissolving the resin member after the internal air is released. This check valve is also preferably made of an organic substance such as plastic or rubber and does not leave ash after incineration, and is preferably simple so as to be supplied at the lowest possible cost. According to the present invention, it is possible to use a sheet filled with waste, a planar filter, a deodorizing means and a check valve attached to the side surface, or a cylindrical body having a deodorizing means and a check valve. The filtering means can be used by attaching it to the mouth of the storage bag. As a method for attaching the filter member to the side of the bag or the cylindrical filtering means, for example, heat bonding such as a heat sealing method is preferable, but using a commercially available adhesive, a double-sided tape, a hot-melt film, or other adhesive material. Is also good. Examples of the hot melt film include polyvinyl acetate, polyamide, and ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer.

 In the present invention, as a means for sealing the mouth of the storage bag, for example, when a filler made of a laminate such as a nonwoven fabric is previously attached to the bag by thermal bonding or the like, the mouth of the bag is tied directly, A preferred method is to wind the mouth tightly with a string, rubber string, rubber band, or adhesive vinyl tape and seal it. If a filter, deodorizing means, or check valve is attached to the cylinder to form a single unit (filtering means) and the bag is connected to the mouth of a regular bag, the mouth of the bag should be in the center of the pursed bag. Hold the cylindrical filter unit so that it communicates with the inside and outside of the bag, enclose the mouth of the bag in such a way as to tighten the cylindrical filter unit, and wind it with a string, rubber string, rubber band, or adhesive vinyl tape. The method of tightening is preferable.

 The structure of the storage bag used to reduce the volume of infectious waste according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a bag for waste that can release the gas in the bag through a filter. A is a bag equipped with the filter means (3) and the check valve (4) of the present invention. B is a detailed view of the filter (3) and the check valve (4), and C is an external view of the bag after putting waste into a bag and sealing it. Fig. 2 also shows an example of a storage bag used to reduce the volume of infectious medical waste. D is a front view of the storage bag, and E is a filter consisting of a filter (3) and a check valve (4). A cross-sectional view of a cylindrical filter unit (filtration means) filled with odor absorbing material (7). F shows the filter unit of E (filtration means) in the opening of the storage bag after waste is put in the storage bag of D. ) Put on the bag FIG.

 One application of this method of facilitating the transport of infectious medical waste is to reduce the volume by using only the aforementioned hydrophilic resin. It is also recommended to wrap up infectious waste that is not hydrophilic to reduce its volume. That is, the volume of the hydrophilic resin molded article may be reduced in a state where various infectious wastes generated in the operating room, such as ordinary plastic containers, syringes, and gloves, are mixed with the hydrophilic resin molded article. . In this case, the hydrophilic resin molded product accounts for at least 20%, preferably 33 to 99% of the total mass of infectious medical waste, and the water contained in the hydrophilic resin product relative to the hydrophilic resin. Of the hydrophilic resin at a temperature of 70 to 150 ° C. by mixing water so that the amount becomes 43 to 400% by mass, preferably 50 to 300% by mass. At the same time as reducing the volume of the hydrophilic resin molded product, and at the same time, injecting the wet-heat-melted hydrophilic resin into the gaps and inside of the infectious medical waste other than the hydrophilic resin to form a binder, The entire medical waste can be fixed as one block. This method involves reducing the volume due to the volume reduction of the hydrophilic resin molded product itself and, for example, filling the inside of the syringe or sample tube with water vapor, creating a vacuum when it cools down, and dissolving wet heat there. The advantage of weight reduction due to the simultaneous volume reduction caused by the infiltration of the injected resin, and the fact that even if needles and scalpel blades that could cause medical accidents are mixed in, There is a merit that the possibility of injuries is greatly reduced because the block is fixed inside the block and cannot move.

 The infectious medical waste referred to in the present invention includes not only medical waste contaminated with infectious substances but also medical waste possibly contaminated with infectious substances. .

The apparent volume of infectious medical waste, especially medical fiber waste, is greatly reduced by the volume reduction process, but if water is ideally distributed, it will be reduced regardless of the bulk density before volume reduction. The specific gravity of the treated waste is about 1.1 to 1.2, and the volume reduction rate is high. Even so, the strength depends on the bulkiness of the fiber waste when it is thrown into a waste container. It is a very compact one-half or less, and the very bulky one is about 20.

 Next, a volume reducing device for infectious medical waste suitable for carrying out the method of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a volume reducing device) will be described with reference to the drawings.

 Basically, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the volume reduction device of the present invention comprises a housing (1), a heating chamber (2), a heating means (3), and a heat source to be sent to the heating means. Means for controlling the supply, and specifically for controlling the supply of power. However, in order to make this device even easier to use, in addition to the above-mentioned elements, it is necessary to detect the state of the heating pot (4) and the resin melted by wet heat and send a signal to the above-mentioned power supply control means. Detection means can be provided.

 It is preferable to use microwaves as the heating means in this volume reduction device, but if a microphone mouth wave is used, the electromagnetic waves are shielded or absorbed in order to prevent radiation of the electromagnetic waves generated from this volume reduction device. It is preferable to provide the function of By shielding or absorbing the electromagnetic waves, medical devices installed around the volume reduction device can be prevented from being erroneously operated. Techniques used to absorb this electromagnetic wave are as follows: the case is made of a metal plate with good conductivity, or if the case is not made of metal plate, the main part of the case is made of metal mesh.ゃ When the foil is pasted, the grounding is performed by welding or plating metal, the use of conductive plastics containing conductive fibers such as metal or carbon or conductive powder, or the use of ferrite. There is a method such as using a paint containing a substance that absorbs electromagnetic waves, and one or some of these techniques are used in combination. Alternatively, the volume reduction device may be covered with another conductive case or conductive sheet for further perfection.

The volume reduction device of the present invention needs to have a heating chamber (2), and a lid (5) that forms the heating chamber is attached to the housing together with the housing so as to be openable and closable. Five ) Alternatively, the housing (1) is provided with a microswitch for detecting the opening of the lid and shutting off the power in order to avoid various dangers such as burns of the workers. A heating pot (4) may be detachably mounted or fixed in the heating chamber. The heating pot (4) can be covered with a polyethylene or polypropylene heat-resistant bag (6) that can withstand the volume reduction temperature to prevent contamination of the heating pot (4). If it becomes dirty, the heating pot can be removed from the heating chamber and cleaned and disinfected. In addition, this heating pot can be connected to a means for rotating or vibrating it, and by applying kinetic energy to the waste heat in the wet heat state, the air can be accelerated to escape, and hooks and kinetics can be used. The air may be expelled by stirring or poking.

 In addition, water that is added to the waste and condensed in the heating chamber and water that is added for heating and condensed in the heating chamber are added to the heating chamber. Drainage outlets and drainage pipes may be provided to deal with pooling phenomena and to drain sewage when cleaning and disinfecting the heating chamber. Further, a means for connecting to a vacuum line, a cock, or the like may be provided in the exhaust pipe (9) so that the heating chamber can be operated under a reduced pressure condition.

 The volume reducing device of the present invention requires a heating means. Examples of the heating means include a microphone opening wave, steam, a heating wire, and infrared rays. Of these, microwaves can increase the temperature of the waste in the shortest time, and may be one that reduces the volume while using sterilization with a preferable force steam. The heating means used in FIGS. 3 to 5 is a microwave, and the microwave (10) generated by the microwave generator (3) is provided in the heating pot (4) in the heating chamber (2). The waste and water (1 2) put in the tank will be heated. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 16 denotes an adsorption chamber for adsorbing an unusual odor generated by the volume reduction treatment.

The volume reduction device K of the present invention requires a detection means for detecting the state of the resin, Examples of such detection means include an infrared or contact temperature detector (13), or an optical, contact, or ultrasonic level detector (14). The former temperature detector is used to confirm that the heating means is operating normally and to supply appropriate power to the heating means. The purpose of this is to prevent the temperature from rising too high and leading to a fire. The latter level detector is a liquid level detector to prevent the resin in the wet heat molten state during volume reduction operation from expanding excessively due to the vapor pressure of water and contaminating the inside of the heating chamber. When a certain level of expansion is detected, the power supply to the heating means is limited or stopped.

 The means for controlling the power supply has a temperature adjustment function and a timer function, but has a function to shut down or limit the power supply to the heating means based on the abnormal signals from the various detection means described above. Things. Further, it may have a function of detecting a failure in the heating means or overheating in the heating chamber and issuing an alarm, or a signal indicating that one cycle of volume reduction has been completed. In FIG. 3, the heating pot is placed on a turntable (15) so as to be uniformly heated.

 Further, as the volume reducing device used in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, waste and water (1 2) are fed into a heating section (2 2) from a charging hopper (2 1) and heated by a screw ゥ. It may be a device that heats and melts waste while moving it inside the section and removes it from the heating section. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, the drum (23) containing waste is rotated in the heating chamber (2), and water vapor heated by the heat source (24) passes from below through the drum wall. It may be a device that plasticizes and reduces the volume of waste. In these figures, 25 is water and 26 is a controller. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 6, the heating section (2 2) is covered, so that the heating section can be regarded as a housing (1).

Further, as the volume reducing device used in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2) is put into the hopper (2 1), and fed to the shredder type cutting machine (3 1) by the roller pair (3 7) under the hopper to be cut, and the cut material is heated in the lower heating chamber (2). A device that drops into the kettle (4), sprays steam or water (32), and heats to a predetermined temperature by the heating element (33 ') installed under the heating kettle (4). Good. In this device, the entire device including the cutting machine is a casing (1), and the heating element (33) can control the power supply so that the temperature inside the heating pot can be adjusted. ing.

 The apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is also an example of the apparatus of the present invention. That is, in the apparatus shown in Fig. 9, the waste (1 2) is put into the hopper (2 1), steam (32) is blown into the hopper (2 1), and water is added as necessary. This is a device that dissolves waste as a viscous liquid in pairs (37), drops it down, and receives it in the lower container. In the figure, (34) is a water tank, (35) is a steam generator, (36) is a waste level sensor. In the apparatus shown in Fig. 9, the hopper controls the supply of steam and the hopper temperature by controlling the supply of electric power by controlling the power supply with the hopper as the heating section, the hopper and the roller pair and the lower receiver as the housing, the heating means as the steam, and the steam generator as the power supply. It is a system to adjust. Also, a structure that optically detects whether or not waste is present in the hopper and controls the rotation of the roller and the on / off of steam may be employed. Also in these devices, since the heating section is covered, it can be considered that the heating section exists in the housing.

 According to the present invention, the volume-reduced waste is a viscous liquid at a high temperature, but becomes a solid having almost no fluidity when cooled to room temperature. (Solids referred to in the present invention are those that have no fluidity at room temperature, and that, when placed in a container at room temperature, do not instantaneously flow out of the container even if the container is knocked down. And so-called high-viscosity conditions), and is therefore extremely easy to handle.

The volume reduction treatment of the medical volume-reducible resin molded product of the present invention generates infectious medical waste. It is generally performed at a medical site, but it may be performed in an operating room, a corridor of a hospital room, a hospital entrance, a vacant lot outside the hospital, etc., a little further away from the site, and further suboptimally. As a countermeasure, the waste may be transported after performing volume reduction processing in the collection vehicle so that a large amount of waste can be loaded and transported on the collection vehicle. After performing this volume reduction treatment, the medical waste is incinerated or pyrolyzed into gas using a special incineration facility that can be incinerated particularly at high temperatures.

 Next, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to the examples. In addition, the volume reduction test of the volume-reducible medical resin molded product in the present invention was performed by the following method.

[Volume reduction test]: A non-woven resin molded product was packed into a 100 mL sample tube, and the height was measured while applying a load of approximately 500 g to calculate the volume (V _D ) . Next, a predetermined amount of hot water is poured from above the resin molded product, and after the hot water has sufficiently penetrated (after about 5 minutes), the molded product is further pressed in under the same load as before the test, and the height is increased. It was measured and the volume was calculated (V _w ). To calculate the ratio V _w ZV _D evaluation of the resulting V _D and V _w was carried out.

Example 1

Polymerization degree of 3 0 0, saponification degree 9 8.5 mol%, the ethylene content 1 0 mole percent ethylene one vinyl alcohol copolymer resin as a raw material, basis weight 3 of 5 g Z m ² nonwoven created More spunbond method The above volume reduction test was performed by pouring 10% of hot water at 80 ° C. with respect to the apparent volume (V _D ) of the nonwoven fabric. The results are shown in Table]. By pouring boiling water, the volume of mikaki was reduced to about one-third.

Examples 2 to 4

 Using the same nonwoven fabric as in Example 1, the hot water conditions were set to the amounts and temperatures shown in Table 1, and a volume reduction test was performed. Table 1 shows the results.

Increasing the amount of boiling water further reduces the volume, and the apparent volume of the molded product In comparison, the volume was reduced by a factor of 4 with 30% hot water.

 Also, when the temperature of the hot water was reduced to 6 O :, the volume reduction rate was slightly lower than at 80.

Examples 5 and 6

 A volume reduction test was performed under the same hot water conditions as in Example 1 except that the same polyvinyl alcohol resin as in Example 1 was used as a raw material, and the basis weight of the nonwoven fabric was changed to that shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the results.

Comparative Example 1

In place of the nonwoven fabric made of the polyvinyl alcohol resin of Example 1, a spun-pound nonwoven fabric having a basis weight of 30 g / m ^{2 made} of a polypropylene resin was used. レ A volume reduction test was performed under the same hot water conditions as in Example 1. . Table 1 shows the results. Hot water was not absorbed into the nonwoven fabric at all, and no change in volume was observed. Comparative Example 2

A volume reduction test was performed using the same nonwoven fabric as in Comparative Example 1 with the amount and temperature of hot water shown in Table 1. Table 1 shows the results. As in Comparative Example 1, no change in volume was shown.

table 1

Example 7

The same non-woven fabric as in Example 1 was hand-made into a square cloth of the same mass (200 g) as the surgical gown, which was rolled unfolded and made of 45 L high-density polyethylene for infectious waste. When I put it in my bag, it was filled with nine pieces. Steam is evenly blown into this bag to absorb the steam into the non-woven fabric. When the total mass increases by 1300 g, stop blowing the steam and press the foot many times to squeeze and release the air. However, the non-woven fabric in the bag shrank to about 5 L. The resulting mass is placed in a 500 W microwave oven [ER-240 (W), manufactured by Toshiba Corporation], and irradiated with microwaves for 30 seconds to expand the rice cake so that the rice cake expands. The volume was reduced to 4 liters when removed from the microwave and stomp again to deflate. (The temperature in the microwave during heating was in the range of 90 to 110 ° C.) Example 8

Polymerization degree 1500, degree of genification 98.5 mol%, ethylene content 5 mol% Melting temperature 75: water content 11% ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin polyethylene glycol 3 as plasticizer Using a mixture containing 5% by mass of 0 as a raw material, a tray having a length of 10 cm, a width of 20 cm, a depth of 2 cm, and a thickness of 1.5 mm was prepared. The apparent volume occupied by this box was 400 cm ³ . This tray was used as a container for scalpels, scissors, etc. used in the surgery during surgery. The tray after use was filled with water for 5 minutes, softened in the same microwave oven as in Example 7 for 20 seconds, and sandwiched between two thick plates and subjected to a load of 60 kg. 0 cm ³ to shrink ivy (temperature in the microwave oven during heating was in the range of 9 0~1 1 0 ° C). Example 9

(1) Ethylene 5 mole% copolymerized with dissolution temperature 8 0, water content 9.1% ethylene one vinyl alcohol copolymer made of basis weight 35 of GZm ² nonwoven 8 0 ° polyvinyl alcohol C dissolved [(strain ) manufactured by Kuraray Co. PVA-1 1 7, sheet of water content 10.6% made film basis weight 6 was laminated O gZm ² - DOO width 1 0 0 cm, the sheets were cut to a length 2 0 0 cm Produced.

(2) As shown in Fig. 2, a bag for infectious waste consisting of high-density polyethylene with a maximum capacity of 20 liters with a maximum capacity of 20 liters and a width of 405 mm x width 660 mm and thickness of 30 m as shown in Fig. Produced.

(3) Next, as shown in Fig. 1B, one end of a cylindrical tube made of high-density polyethylene with an inner diameter of 13 mm and a length of 6 cm was melt blown with polypropylene, and the average fiber diameter was 3 m. basis weight is processed mass per unit area of a laminated Sea Bok was a 1 0 g Roh m ² and the paper making method 1 0 g / m ² nonwoven and wood pulp, the gas in the bag area of 5 cm ² to the outside Equipped with a filter for release, absorbent cotton impregnated with malic acid in the cylinder, and hydrated darioxal A cotton wool impregnated with the rubber was packed in, and a check valve consisting of a polypropylene pedestal and a rubber piece was attached to the other end by hot melt bonding to produce a filter unit as shown in FIG.

 (4) After using the sheets obtained in (1) above as bed sheets of a hepatitis patient for 4 days, place the polyethylene bag obtained in (2) above on the heating pot shown in Fig. 3. Then, 8 OmL of water was added thereto, and the above-mentioned sheets were loosely rounded and put thereon. At this time, the loosely rolled sheets occupied a volume of 1.5 L. Further, 9 OmL of water was poured evenly, the open end of the bag was wrapped around the filter unit prepared in the above (3), and the bag was sealed with a rubber string as shown in FIG. The heating pot was returned to the heating chamber and irradiated with 500 W microwaves. During the microwave irradiation, the bag expanded significantly, but steam gushed out from the outlet of the filter unit and the bag did not burst. Immediately after the microwave irradiation, the sample was taken out, and the temperature was measured immediately using a thermocouple (Digital Thermometer CT-700S, Custorn) to show 90. From this and the state of the contents at the time of irradiation, the internal temperature of the kettle had reached the range of 90 to 110 ° C. The volume of the sheet after removal was reduced to 33 OmL, and the volume was reduced to 1 Z5 compared to before the microwave treatment.

(5) After cooling, the sheet after volume reduction was taken out of the heating chamber as a solid lump, and the solid was incinerated. The required energy was small, and there was no problem with harmful gases.

(6) — After microwave irradiation, the inside wall of the heating pot is wiped off with sterilizing gauze wetted with sterile water, and the gauze is soybean casein digest according to the sterility test method of the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. After contacting with the agar medium and storing the medium in a 35: 5 incubator for 3 days, the presence of bacterial growth was visually observed, and almost no bacterial colonies were observed on the medium. . Example 10

 (1) Without folding three inpatient diapers and 0.7 kg of water collected from the cardiology ward and sewn using the same nonwoven fabric sheet as in Example 9 in a 20-L high-density polyethylene bag I put it.

 (2) After attaching a sterilized filter unit consisting of a cylinder with a 0.45 m pore size membrane and a check valve to the bag of (1) above, use a vinyl tape to seal the mouth of the bag. It was tightly tied and sealed so that there were no air leaks.

 (3) When irradiated with microwaves in the same manner as in Example 9, the contents of the bag irradiated with microwaves expanded violently, and a large amount of water vapor was released from the outlet of the filter unit. Immediately after the microwave irradiation, the sample was taken out, and the temperature was measured immediately using a thermocouple (Custom, digital thermometer CT-700S). From this and the state of the contents at the time of irradiation, the internal temperature of the kettle had reached the range of 90 to 11 Ot :. After the irradiation of the microphone, the temperature inside decreased sharply, and the bag began to take in the external air.However, the check valve was activated within a short time, The volume was reduced by being compressed by the atmospheric pressure.

 (4) After that, wipe the inside wall of the heating pot with sterile gauze moistened with sterile water and contact the gauze with soybean, casein, digest, and agar medium in accordance with the sterility test method of the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. Then, after storing the medium in an incubator at 35 ° C for 3 days, the presence or absence of bacterial growth was visually observed, and almost no bacterial colonies were observed on the medium.

Comparative Example 3

(1) As in Example 10 (1), put three disposable diapers and 0.7 kg of water from a cardiology ward into a 20-L high-density polyethylene bag without folding it, and attach a membrane filter. Without the same microscopy as in Example 9. When the waves were irradiated, the contents inside the bag expanded violently, and a large amount of water vapor was released from the outlet of the cylinder without a filter, and some of the droplets of the contents adhered to the inner wall of the heating pot.

 (2) After the end of the microwave irradiation, the bag was compressed by atmospheric pressure to reduce the volume as in Example 10. Then, the sterilized gauze with the inner wall of the heating pot wet with sterile water was brought into contact with soybean, casein, digest, and agar medium, and this medium was stored in an incubator at 35 for 3 days and visually observed. However, when a large number of colonies were observed on the agar medium, and they were observed under a microscope, rod-shaped E. coli having a short diameter of 1.1 to 1.1 and a long diameter of 2.0 to 6.0 m and a diameter of 1 zm were observed on the agar medium. Numerous spherical Staphylococcus aureus were observed. Industrial applicability

The volume reduction method and apparatus of the present invention greatly reduce the melting temperature of the hydrophilic resin by utilizing the plasticizing effect of water, so that the volume is reduced as compared to melting a conventional thermoplastic resin as it is. Since the temperature required for the treatment is low, the operation can be performed with a small amount of power using a simple device, and a significant cost reduction can be achieved in both initial costs and running costs. In addition, the use of the storage bag of the present invention during volume reduction processing does not require dangerous work such as taking out infectious waste out of the bag or opening the bag and doing something. Anybody can safely and easily reduce the volume of waste anywhere, and the waste after volume reduction has been disinfected, further improving work safety. Furthermore, when the above-mentioned hydrophilic resin in the wet-heat-melted state is used as a binder for ordinary plastic products, the present invention can be used as long as a specific hydrophilic resin molded product is used. Volume can be reduced without eliminating infectious waste It is possible to greatly reduce container costs, transportation costs, and the like related to the processing of refuse.

Claims

The scope of the claims

I. Infectious medical waste (A) mainly composed of a resin molded product made of hydrophilic resin that is melted by hot water or steam at 50 ° C or higher in the presence of water (B) at 70 to 150 ° A method for reducing the volume of infectious medical waste, comprising treating at a temperature of C.

 2. A storage bag made of a thermoplastic film, wherein the infectious medical waste (A) and the water (B) are provided with a removable or non-removable pathogen filtering means on the side or opening of the bag body. 2. The volume reducing method according to claim 1, wherein the storage bag is stored in a storage bag provided in a state.

 3. The method for reducing volume according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydrophilic resin is a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin.

 4. The volume reduction method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrophilic resin is a polyvinyl alcohol homopolymer.

 5. The volume reduction method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hydrophilic resin is an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer having an ethylene copolymerization ratio of 1 to 24 mol%.

 6. The volume reduction method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the infectious medical waste (A) is a fiber product made of a polyvinyl alcohol-based resin.

 7. The volume reduction method according to claim 1, wherein the textile product is a nonwoven fabric product.

 8. The volume reduction method according to claim 2, wherein the thermoplastic film constituting the storage bag is a film made of a thermoplastic polymer having a heat resistance temperature of 100 ° C or more.

 9. The volume reduction method according to claim 2, wherein the pathogen filtering means is provided with a check valve.

 10. Any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the volume of the infectious medical waste (A) and the water (B) is reduced in the presence of infectious medical waste other than the hydrophilic resin. The volume reduction method described.

II. After putting infectious medical waste in the storage bag, request to decompress the inside of the bag 10. The volume reduction method according to item 9 in the range.

 12. The volume reduction method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the treatment at a temperature of 12.70 to 150 ° C is performed by irradiation with a microwave.

 1 3. A method for discarding infectious medical waste, characterized by incinerating solid matter reduced in volume by the method for reducing volume according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

 14.5 Medical waste consisting of hydrophilic resin that melts with hot water or steam at 50 ° C or higher is treated at a temperature of 70 to 150 ° C to convert the infectious medical waste (A). A volume reduction device for infectious medical waste, comprising: a housing; a heating unit; a heating means and a means for controlling heat supply.

 15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the heating section comprises a heating chamber, and the heating chamber has a heating pot.

 1 6. Claims that are provided with an electromagnetic wave absorption function or an electromagnetic wave shielding function to prevent the emission of electromagnetic waves generated by the infectious medical waste volume reduction device. Equipment.

 1 7. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, having a structure for preventing gas or odor containing pathogens generated in the heating chamber from leaking out of the volume reduction device.

 18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein a heating pot is detachably mounted in the heating chamber, and the heating pot has means for rotating or vibrating the heating pot.

 1 9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the heating means is a microphone mouth wave.

 20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 19, further comprising means for detecting the temperature or the liquid level of the hydrophilic resin in the heating pot.