Hospital waste pollution
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Abstract
Hospital environmental pollutants are recognized as one of the main concerns for public health and are responsible for various pathologies. In particular, particulate matter, nanoparticles, and lipophilic vaporized toxins (acrolein) easily cross the blood-brain barrier, activate innate immune responses in astrocytes, microglia, and neurons, and exert neurotoxicity. The Human Biomonitoring for Europe project (EHBM4EU, Horizon 2020 of 25/02/2020) harmonizes procedures and tools at the European level for the application of human biomonitoring to measure human exposure to chemical substances. Hospital wastewater, hospital solid waste and a considerable amount of chemicals with significant concentrations of pharmaceutical compounds, such as diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used as an anti-rheumatic and pain reliever, ciprofloxacin as well as naproxen and chlorophenols that represent a real threat to the environment and human health, in addition to spores, carbon particles, metals, pollen, silica, and liquid pollutants. In particular, the harmful effects on human health of micro and nanoplastics, phthalates, and plasticizers are described. Phthalates, used as plasticizers for their flexibility and moldability, make PVC, along with other materials, a soft and moldable plastic even at low temperatures, thus being widely used in various medical devices, such as respiratory masks, catheters, disposable gloves, blood transfusion bags, and for parenteral nutrition..
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