Contaminant Properties of Hospital Clinical Laboratory Wastewater: A Physiochemical and Microbiological Assessment

Hospital laboratory wastewater has been considered to significantly change the degree of contamination of especially the hospital wastewater. The present study investigated the hospital clinical laboratory wastewater and the pollution loads were assessed for pathogens, heavy metals, and organic materials. Composite samples were collected from clinical laboratory wastewater of a 350-bed hospital for a six-month period. Analyses for pH, TSS (Total Suspended Solid), BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand), COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), PO4-P, and Cl as well as heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Al, and Mn) were made in order to physiochemical properties of the samples. Bacterial isolation (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobaumanii, CNS—Coagulase- Negative Staphylococcus) and antigen-antibody analyses were conducted in order to find the microbiological pollution load of the wastewater. As a result of the study it was found that the hospital clinical laboratory wastewater was alkaline and COD/BOD ratio reached to a range of 10 - 12 in the wastewater. It was concluded that although the heavy metal concentrations were within the sewage discharge limits the said levels could pose health risk. It was also found that the wastewater entailed health risk due to pathogens.