Environment, health groups: Scrap ‘pyrolysis’ in new medwaste manual

Environment and health advocates on Wednesday called on the Department of Health to remove pyrolysis from its revised Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) Manual. Pyrolysis is listed in the manual as an option for dealing with medical waste, in violation of the spirit and intent of the Clean Air Act of 1999.

 

"We do not want to mislead healthcare workers and the public into thinking that pyrolysis is a clean technology that can be used to manage medical waste," said Director of Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) Merci Ferrer in a press release. 

 

According to HCWH, the DOH will be distributing the manual, which serves as a bible for all hospitals when it comes to waste management.

 

The manual describes pyrolysis as "Thermal decomposition of HCW in the absence of supplied molecular oxygen in the destruction chamber in which the said HCW is converted into gaseous, liquid, or solid form. Pyrolysis can handle the full range of HCW. Waste residues may be in form of greasy aggregates or slugs, recoverable metals, or carbon black. These residues are disposed of in a landfill."

 

Ferrer said the provision for incineration is illegal, because there is a total ban on burning waste.

 

However, though the Clean Air Act prohibits the incineration of biomedical wastes, a Supreme Court ruling in 2002 said that incineration is only prohibited if the burning process emits poisonous and toxic fumes.  

 

Following the Supreme Court decision, the Department of Energy and Natural Resources issued a clarification on the incinerator ban in the Clean Air Act. "Any thermal treatment technology, whether burn or non-burn as defined in DAO 2000-81, that meets the emission standard for stationary sources as listed in Section 19 of RA 8749 and complies with all other relevant provisions of RA 8749 and other applicable laws of the Republic, is allowed to be operated in the country," the DENR said in its Memorandum Circular No. 2002-05.

 

According to Ruth Stringer, International Science and Policy Coordinator, HCWH Global Projects and International Outreach, the European Union classifies pyrolysis, along with gasification and plasma as incinerators. Stringer also said that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has declared dioxin, an inevitable byproduct of incineration, as a known human carcinogen. 

 

From biological problem to toxic pollution

 

Von Hernandez, Executive Director of Greenpeace-Southeast Asia and President of Ecowaste Coalition, said “re-introducing burn technologies via pyrolysis or waste-to-energy proposals is part of the continuing attempt by incinerator-pushers, abetted by their allies in government, to erode and weaken the real intent of the Clean Air Act.”

 

According to Hernandez, burning infectious waste transforms a biological problem into a daunting toxic pollution problem. 

 

"Unfortunately instead of pushing for the implementation of the Clean Air Act and the provision of cleaner alternatives, some people in the DENR and the DOH are intent on subverting the spirit of the Clean Air Act by using legal and technical subterfuge like, for example, saying that there have been facilities called pyrolysis. But they are all basically incinerators," he said during a Wednesday press conference.

 

Apart from the inclusion of pyrolysis, Ferrer noted that the "Reduce" in "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" as originally written in the DOH manual was changed to "Recover." 

 

"Gusto po nilang ipasok yung tinatawag na mga waste-to-energy na kung saan ito ay magsusunog ng ating mga basura para raw po tayo o ang ating mga pasilidad ay makakuha ng enerhiya mula sa basura," Ferrer said.

 

"The Philippines has the world's leading Clean Air Act, and that needs to be upheld," Stringer said during the press conference. 

 

She added that the Philippines has very good waste management practices that should be replicated around the world. She cited the biodigester in the Perpetual Succor Hospital in Cebu, which is testing an anaerobic digestion process used to treat biodegradable waste without oxygen and that produces gas without burning; and St. Paul Hospital in Tuguegarao, which is autoclaving (sterilizing with steam) its infectious waste onsite.

 

"Dapat magkakaroon ng pagpromote ng alternative, nageencourage ng investment para sa maliliit nating negosyante na meron sa Cotabato, mga shredder, autoclave... wala na ho talagang hahanapin pa," said Ferrer. 

 

According to Stringer, autoclaving delivers cleaner air by effectively reducing pollutants, more than incinerators use would. "What we need to do is segregate and treat the waste appropriately," she said.

 

Published in 2011, the 3rd edition Manual on HCWM may be reviewed and updated after five years, according to its preface. "Any proposal for revision shall be forwarded to the National Center for Health Facility Development for consideration. Ensuing amendments to the Manual shall be subject to the formal approval of the Secretary of Health," reads the preface.

 

Lawyer Gloria Ramos of the Philippine Earth Justice Center said the DOH should reconsider their revised manual. "Dapat policy of inclusion should be in place. Hindi puwedeng gagawa gawa lang at iimplementa at expecting all to just accept it. Stakeholders have the right to participate from planning until monitoring," she said during the press conference. — DVM, GMA News