Regulations on Bio-Pathogenic Waste Management in Argentina

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Health care waste management poses various technical problems and is influenced by cultural, social and economic contexts. In Argentina, this takes place in a complex legal scenario with the coexistence of 18 different legal frameworks for bio-pathogenic waste. OBJECTIVES: To provide the tools for the collective federal construction of minimum agreements in this field. METHODS: A comparative review was performed on provincial laws and their regulatory decrees. It involved a comparison with the national law for every aspect, following the successive stages of internal health care waste management. RESULTS: The review included 67 legal dispositions: 5 at national level, 40 provincial laws and 22 provincial decrees. Most of the items showed a great diversity of criteria and different depth level. CONCLUSIONS: Argentina needs to update the regulations on health care waste management with an inclusive approach to environmental and occupational health, in order to develop the collective federal construction of minimum agreem.