Physico-chemical assessment of hospital wastewater quality

Hospitals discharge significant amounts of wastewater loaded with microorganisms, heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and radioactive elements. Screening of wastewaters produced from hospitals is, therefore, necessary to predict the actual health hazards that may be caused due to their improper discharge. The analysis of a recognized set of physico -chemical parameters is the most commonly used method of assessing wastewater quality by pollution control boards / regulatory authorities. This paper points out the areas of concern for hospital wastewater disposal and reports the findings of a limited physico-chemical study executed with effluents of three major hospitals located in different parts of Jaipur (Rajasthan), India. Monitoring of pH, turbidity, conductivity, salinity, total dissolved solids and biological and chemical oxygen demands indicates that the activities of hospital wastes in the environment is a major health and environmental threat, which therefore call for a proper regulatory system on disposal of hospital effluents untreated, worldwide, especially in the developing countries like India.