Speaking on the occasion, Chairman, PCBA, J. L. Dutta dwelt on the issues of proper segregation of BMW at source in colour-coded bins as per medical waste management and handling Rule 1998. He said that every hospital and nursing homes must have at least one electric needle destroyer in each nursing station (ward) for destroying the needle immediately after its use. The disposable syringes are to be disinfected by bleaching solution and then crushed. This is to be done to ensure that people are not affected with HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis B infections.

The needle and syringes obtained from blood bank after blood transfusion are also to be disposed of in a similar way. Care has to be taken so that blood, which is transfused, is free from infection like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis B etc. The whole exercise will make significant contribution towards elimination of spread of HIV, AIDS, Hepatitis B and cancer.

He also mentioned that practically hospitals and nursing homes generate only 10-15% infectious wastes but due to lack of proper segregation or separation at source these infectious waste contaminate the non-infectious wastes and thereby makes the whole waste infectious.

Especially, the need to destroy the needles and syringes at source after single use to stop recycling was highlighted in the meet. The anatomical waste obtained in the Operation Theatre, blood, body fluid, cotton swab, bandages etc. are to be incinerated in a two chamber incinerator with good air pollution control device and chimney height should be 30 meters, with regular monitoring. The liquid biomedical wastes is also to be treated properly in an effluent treatment plant (ETP) and after proper treatment only it can be discharged.

GU urged to introduce course on Green Chemistry

The Assam Tribune, Monday, April 02, 2007

By A City Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 1 – A national level workshop throwing lights on the ‘Green Chemistry Practices and Applications’ was inaugurated at the Chemistry Department of the Cotton College by the Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University, Prof AmarJyoti Choudhuri today.

The four-day workshop, sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India aims to sensitise the teachers from different colleges of North East, including Sikkim.

In his inaugural speech, Dr Choudhuri threw light on the practices of green chemistry and stressed on its thorough knowledge among the teachers of Chemistry. “As a new innovative approach to Chemistry, Green Chemistry can play a major role in pollution prevention,” he said.

“Green Chemistry is the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the hazardous substances, thus facilitating a non-hazardous approach to the environment, Chowdhuri said.

Speaking as the chief guest of the occasion, PC Sarma, Chief Secretary, Assam said that the Green Chemistry provides innovative solutions to the real-world environment situations.

“Assam is yet to develop its industrial potentials and this is the right time to take preventive measures to check pollution by adopting the modern methods available in this field,” he suggested in the workshop.

The Secretary of DST Dr T Ramasami delivered the keynote address and explained the necessity of adopting this modern way of Chemistry to reduce the impact of hazardous substances.

Principal of Cotton Collage Indra Bhattacharjee described it as a ‘one step ahead’ approach to subject like Chemistry, which will have impact on other disciplines as well.

Presenting a theme of the workshop as ‘think green, be green and convey green’, Sudarshan Barua, HOD, Department of Chemistry, Cotton College requested the Gauhati University authorities and government of Assam to take steps toward introducing Green Chemistry in the curriculum of GU to promote its study in North East.

It may be noted that till date only Delhi University has included this subject in its academic curriculum in India. “Lets place Guwahati among the pioneers to introduce a more green approach to the study of chemistry,” he urged.