(i) Faeces and Urine:
Faeces and urine should be collected in an impervious container to which an equal volume of 8% bleaching powder, 10% formalin solution, 5% cresol or 10% phenol is added. The disinfectant is allowed to remain in contact for at least two hours. After disinfection the container is emptied in a drain.
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If more of the above mentioned chemical is available then boiling water is put in the container and allowed to remain in contact till it cools down. Alternatively the stools are emptied in a drain or buried and covered with lime.
(ii) Sputum:
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On small scale the sputum is collected in paper containers or on handkerchief which is burnt immediately after collecting the sputum. When the quantity of sputum excreted is large as in the case of T.B. then it is collected either in disposable paper cups or in sputum cups half filled with cresol solution.
The patient should spit in these cups and when full they are allowed to stand for two hours and then disposed of. Alternatively a large amount of sputum can be disinfected by boiling or autoclaving for 20 minutes at 20 pounds pressure and then disposed of.
(iii) Room:
The walls of hospital rooms and operation theatres are generally painted with washable paints and floors are made of chips or marble which can be easily cleaned by washing with water. Generally the rooms which are well ventilated and direct sunlight enters into the rooms, do not require any disinfection but if need arises then floor and walls are mopped with soap or any detergent then washed with good flow of water. Nobody should be allowed to enter in the room for the next two days.
Chemical disinfection can be carried out by using 2 to 3% cresol, 5% phenol, 10% formalin solution or a concentrated solution of bleaching powder. The floor and walls of the room are mopped with any of the above mentioned solutions which is allowed to remain in contact for 4 to 6 hours then it is washed with free flow of water.
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For operation theatres above mentioned treatment is carried out. After this the theatre is fumigated with gaseous formaldehyde. For this purpose 500 ml of formalin is mixed with one liter of water, the solution is boiled and the fumes are generated. The room so treated is kept closed for 12 hours and then it can be used.
(iv) Linen:
Linen, bed sheets and other clothing’s should be disinfected by boiling in water for half to one hour. If soap is added to water the disinfectant action is enhanced. Linen soiled with excreta, pus or blood should be first soaked in 10% formalin or 5% phenol solution. Then they are boiled in soap and water for about two hours.
Woolen articles, leather goods and furniture etc. cannot be disinfected by boiling or autoclaving. Such articles should be disinfected by ionising radiations.
(v) Instruments:
Syringes, needles, glass articles of routine use are disinfected by boiling in water for 20-30 minutes. The articles which get spoiled by boiling should be disinfected by ionising radiations. Boiling does not kill the spores so surgical instruments cannot be sterilized by boiling, they should be autoclaved. Very sharp and sophisticated instruments, rubber articles should be disinfected by ionising radiations.
(vi) Dead bodies:
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The disposal of dead bodies is not new. Some system was adopted for their disposal from time immemorial. It is carried out in different systems in different communities. In India three systems are adopted namely burning, burying and floating the body in water.
Burning of the dead body is a unique method which is adopted by many communities. By burning the body of diseased person all the pathogenic microorganisms are killed. While taking the dead body of the diseased person it must be covered with a cloth soaked in disinfectant so as to prevent the chances of infection pouring out of the body.
In big cities like Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, Delhi etc. the dead bodies are disposed of by burning the body in high currents of heat provided by electric furnace. By this method the body is reduced to ashes within half an hour.
In burying the dead bodies are buried under deep earth. It is also a good method of disposal of dead bodies but not as good as burning. The Mohammedans and Christians adopt this method. The main disadvantage of burying is that it requires lot of land.
The third method of disposal of dead bodies is to float the dead body in a nearby river, stream or sea. This system is not the right method of disposing of dead bodies because once it is floated in water; it is eaten up by the water animals.
Though it is an easy method of disposal of dead bodies but it is improper method because it pollutes, contaminates and creates unhygienic conditions and water becomes unfit for human consumption.