Health Risk Evaluation of Toxic Emissions from BMW Incineration Treatment Facilities in India

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has brought a tremendous burden on the world’s healthcare system. The extra load on the biomedical waste (BMW) management system compelled the regulatory bodies to implement new guidelines to tackle the severe problem. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the generation and emissions of various air pollutants and health risk assessment associated with BMW treatment procedures during COVID-19 in India. This article computed the increment of total biomedical waste (TBMW) generation, i.e., 30.58% during the first wave of COVID-19 (incinerator neutralizes waste infectivityFWC) and 34.85% during the second wave of COVID-19 (SWC). The utilization of incinerators during the pandemic increased by 72% and 75% during the FWC and SWC, respectively, leading to the compromised efficiency situation of the BMW incinerator units. This resulted in a 17.37 to 68.79% increase in flue gas emissions compared to before the pandemic. Regarding toxic heavy metals, lead (Pb) emissions were computed to be the highest, i.e., 3743.15 kg and 2169.34 kg during FWC and SWC, respectively. Health risk assessment due to exposure to increased levels of toxic pollutants revealed that Cd poses a lifetime cancer risk in adults. Hence, the study urges strict compliance with BMW guidelines in the post-COVID-19 era, including the application of emerging technologies to minimize toxic emissions during BMW treatment to promote green recovery.