Hazardous or toxic waste destruction or containment – Containment – Solidification – vitrification – or cementation
Patent
1998-08-12
2000-07-11
Taylor, Dennis L.
Hazardous or toxic waste destruction or containment
Containment
Solidification, vitrification, or cementation
405128, 422 26, 588249, A62D 300, B09B 300
Patent
active
060875488
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an assembly for sterilizing and converting contaminated waste, and in particular contaminated medical waste, such as, for example, needles, scalpels and used syringes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of treating contaminated waste, and in particular contaminated medical waste, it is known, for example, to use powerful incinerators or sterilization devices with which it is possible to melt the metal parts of the contaminated waste, for example needles and scalpels, with an electric arc or an electric discharge. These latter devices are relatively heavy and require a source of electrical power, such as a battery or a mains socket, and this limits their portability and their availability to hospitals. Such devices are described, for example, in documents EP-A-0 634 182, WO 94/13346 and WO 94/01153.
These devices, however, cannot generally be installed or used by health professionals such as doctors and nurses outside the hospital environment. Current legislation governing the storage and treatment of contaminated waste thus poses a constant and not inconsiderable problem for them. Indeed, the problem of the portability and functioning of any sterilization device must be taken into consideration for these health professionals, whether in general practice, for example, or in outpatient medicine.
Moreover, application WO-A-90/15419 describes a device for treating medical or contaminated waste by sterilization, this device including a container, one part of which is compressible, and inside which there is arranged at least one hot-melt compound. In a first stage, the container is heated in an oven, optionally equipped with a filter for the gases which are released during the heat treatment, so as to melt the hot-melt compound around the waste, thereby rendering the latter unrecognizable and sterile. In a second stage, the container is compressed to make it possible to enclose the cutting elements forming part of the waste to be sterilized, which elements would risk piercing the container if they were not completely enclosed.
The disadvantage of this solution is that the container forming a chamber is not integral, that is to say not sufficiently robust from a mechanical point of view, because it is deformable by compression, which fact represents a potential danger for third parties if the container were to open, for example when it was being collected by the garbage truck. Moreover, the use of a filter on the wall of the oven also poses many drawbacks, namely: existence; which have been able to settle therein; too great a pressure of gases released in the chamber of the oven; since it contains potentially dangerous vapors.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject of the present invention is therefore a sterilization and conversion assembly allowing an individual, such as a doctor or a nurse in a medical surgery, both to temporarily store the contaminated waste, including metal waste, and to safely render the waste sterile and non-reusable, by means of equipment which is simple and easy to use. The waste thus converted by the assembly according to the present invention can be disposed of with the household or industrial refuse, without risk of contamination to a third party who might come into contact with the waste thus treated.
In accordance with the invention, a disposable assembly for collecting contaminated waste is made available, comprising a heat-stable container, for example made of metal, in order to withstand, without deformation, the conditions, particularly the temperature conditions, of a complete sterilization of its contents, and intended for household and/or industrial refuse, and forming a chamber provided with a sealable opening through which the contaminated waste is introduced, and a hot-melt plastic material which is meltable under the conditions, particularly the temperature conditions, of sterilization, and is arranged inside the container, with a sufficient mass to enclose the waste in the molten plastic material, the ass
REFERENCES:
patent: 4552720 (1985-11-01), Baker, Sr. et al.
patent: 4662516 (1987-05-01), Baker, Sr. et al.
patent: 4919569 (1990-04-01), Wittenzelliner
Bettoun Guy
Levy Alfred
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