Abstract：
Literature review suggests that studies on biomedical waste generation and disposal behaviors in North America are limited. Given the infectious nature of the materials, effective biomedical waste management is vital to the public health and safety of the residents. This study explicitly examines seasonal variations of treated biomedical waste (TBMW) disposal rates in the City of Regina, Canada, from 2013 to 2022. Immediately before the onset of COVID-19, the City exhibited a steady pattern of TBMW disposal rate at about 6.6 kg∙capita-1∙year-1. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns brought about an abrupt and persistent decline in TBMW disposal rates. Inconsistent fluctuations in both magnitude and variability of the monthly TBMW load weights were also observed. The TBMW load weight became particularly variable in 2020, with an interquartile range 4 times higher than 2019. The average TBMW load weight was also the lowest (5.1 tonnes∙month-1∙truckload-1) in 2020, possibly due to an overall decline in non-COVID-19 medical emergencies, cancellation of elective surgeries, and availability of telehealth options to residents. In general, the TBMW disposal rates peaked during the summer and fall seasons. The day-to-day TBMW disposal contribution patterns between the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic are similar, with 97.5% of total TBMW being disposed of on fixed days. Results from this Canadian case study indicate that there were observable temporal changes in TBMW disposal behaviors during and after the COVID-19 lockdowns.
摘要：
文献综述表明，北美对生物医学废物产生和处置行为的研究有限。鉴于材料的传染性，有效的生物医学废物管理对居民的公共卫生和安全至关重要。这项研究明确检查了里贾纳市处理过的生物医学废物（TBMW）处置率的季节性变化，加拿大,从2013年到2022年。在COVID-19爆发之前，纽约市表现出稳定的TBMW处置率模式，约为6.6kg•人均1•year-1。然而,COVID-19大流行及其相关的封锁导致TBMW处置率突然持续下降。还观察到每月TBMW负载重量的大小和可变性的不一致波动。TBMW的负载重量在2020年变得特别可变，四分位数范围比2019年高出4倍。TBMW的平均载重也是2020年最低的（5.1吨•month-1•卡车-1），可能是由于非COVID-19医疗紧急情况的总体下降，取消选择性手术，以及为居民提供远程医疗选择。总的来说,TBMW的处置率在夏季和秋季达到峰值。大流行前和大流行后的日常TBMW处置贡献模式相似，总TBMW的97.5%在固定日期被处置。这项加拿大案例研究的结果表明，在COVID-19封锁期间和之后，TBMW处置行为出现了可观察到的时间变化。
