The environmental authority is responsible for protecting living surroundings. Its main work includes drafting national environmental protection regulations and policies, conducting environmental monitoring, statistics and information management, as well as establishing environmental monitoring systems. The goal is to maintain a healthy living environment.
What are the environmental authority’s monitoring requirements for medical wastewater?
To effectively reduce risks of virus transmission via medical wastewater, environmental authorities arrange personnel to carry out environmental monitoring and inspections. Medical institutions need to strengthen supervision and control of medical wastewater. Especially during special periods such as public health emergencies, targeted chemical dosing and disinfection shall be applied to wastewater, followed by timely inspections on medical wastewater discharge. Sampling and monitoring shall be performed on pollutants at the main discharge outlet, including coliforms, disinfectant residual (such as total residual chlorine and active oxygen), and other conventional parameters. This ensures proper disinfection treatment and compliant discharge of medical wastewater to prevent environmental contamination.
During the COVID-19 outbreak starting at the end of 2019, monitoring frequency for medical wastewater was increased to achieve wide coverage and avoid secondary environmental hazards, safeguard environmental compliance and secure water environment safety.
Medical Wastewater monitoring parameters, coliforms are a key monitoring item, with higher attention during public health emergencies. Viral nucleic acid was detected positive in stool samples of confirmed patients during pandemic response, and health authorities warned of potential fecal-oral transmission risks. To address this, environmental authorities issued notices on supervision of medical wastewater and urban sewage during public health events. Enhanced medical wastewater management is required to meet qualified effluent coliform levels.
The WECT-900 Coliform Online Analyzer can be used to monitor coliforms in medical wastewater. Wastewater can be discharged only when test results meet relevant standards. It should be noted that coliforms are not the only parameter to be tested before discharge. While coliforms are a key monitoring target, conventional indicators and disinfectant residuals and other related substances also need testing.
