Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, why does medical waste continue to increase? And why is medical waste considered so dangerous that its disposal process is stricter than that of ordinary trash?

Many people assume that once a used syringe or a blood-stained piece of gauze is thrown away in a hospital, the problem is solved. In reality, however, the journey of medical waste is far more complicated than most people realize, and every step exists for an important reason.

When people think about protecting the environment, they usually focus on reducing vehicle emissions, lowering industrial pollution, recycling more, or conserving electricity. Yet one major environmental threat is often overlooked: medical waste. If it is improperly handled and released into the environment, the consequences can be catastrophic. Contaminated medical waste has the potential to spread infectious diseases, pollute ecosystems, and, in extreme cases, contribute to incidents that endanger many lives.

Waste contaminated with blood or bodily fluids can expose sanitation workers, the general public, and wildlife to dangerous bacteria and viruses if it is not properly treated. In addition, if pharmaceutical residues or hazardous chemicals are disposed of incorrectly and eventually seep into groundwater, they can damage aquatic ecosystems and threaten drinking water supplies.

A well-known Korean example highlights the importance of proper hazardous waste management. Director Bong Joon-ho's film The Host (​괴물, 2006), which became one of the fastest Korean films to reach 10 million admissions, was inspired by the 2000 incident in which formaldehyde from a U.S. military mortuary in Yongsan was illegally discharged into the Han River without proper treatment. While the film's monster is fictional, the real incident drew national attention to the devastating consequences of the improper disposal of hazardous chemicals.

In an interview, Serk In Park, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Korea University College of Medicine, explained that pharmaceutical compounds and chemicals already present in groundwater may undergo unpredictable chemical reactions. In some cases, these reactions could produce substances with far greater toxicity than the original materials. Simply discarding slightly contaminated water or a piece of blood-stained gauze without proper treatment may create environmental consequences that are impossible to predict, and those consequences can ultimately affect our own communities and families.

So, how is medical waste safely managed?

In most hospitals, medical waste is carefully separated according to its category before being labeled with electronic tracking tags in accordance with the guidelines of Korea's Ministry of Environment. Licensed waste management companies then transport the waste to specialized incineration facilities, where it is burned at temperatures above 850°C, completely destroying harmful bacteria and viruses. The resulting gases are thoroughly purified before being released into the atmosphere, while the remaining ash is solidified and disposed of in secure landfills.

Some medical equipment, however, can be safely reused. During my internship at a dental clinic, I observed that reusable instruments undergo four essential steps before returning to clinical use: thorough cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, individual packaging, and high-pressure steam sterilization (autoclaving). Disposable items such as gauze and sutures are still separated, classified as medical waste, and collected by licensed disposal companies for safe treatment.

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