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Markets & Potential
CHANGE IN THE MARKET
Infectious medical waste or biomedical waste pose continuing environmental and health and safety concerns. Specifically, biomedical waste (biohazardous, red bag waste or hazardous medical waste) has and will continue to become more problematic as a result of new and more stringent air emission regulations. The US EPA estimates that new air emission regulations will force the closure of up to 80% of existing medical waste incinerators and prevent the construction of up to 80% of proposed new medical waste incinerators.
In Europe, the impact of air emissions from incineration of all types is under pressure from governments and environmental groups while the desire for safe and effective sterilization of pathogens continues to be a top priority.
Incineration has been the most commonly used method of treating medical waste in the developed world over the last several decades because it sterilizes the waste, achieving a 6 log 10 reduction in viable spores. Other technologies typically do not achieve this level of sterilization; however, there is clearly a need for an alternative to incineration that provides the same level of pathogen destruction as incineration without the negative environmental issues. EWI is confident that Reverse Polymerization of medical waste is the environmentally responsible and safe choice.
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MARKET POTENTIAL
In the US and Canada, between 4.4 million and 5.5 million tons (4-5 million tonnes) of health care wastes are generated annually. It is estimated that hospitals account for 67% of the health care waste stream while annual infectious waste generation is between 550,000 and 600,000 tonnes. In Europe, it is estimated that between 1 million and 1.1 million tonnes of infection waste are generated annually. Other parts of the world generate healthcare waste at rates ranging from 0.4 kg/capita to 12 kg/capita per year. With the increase in population, travel, the standard of living and life expectancy the mass of medical and infectious wastes will only continue to increase.
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