Sunday, 15 May 2011

What Medical Facilities Have To Know About X-ray Disposal

By Mark S. Walker


When it comes to x-ray films, disposal is never taken lightly. Unlike other hospitals records in paper, x-ray films cannot be disposed by mere shredding. The silver particles embedded in these films are hazardous to the health and the environment if carelessly disposed. Thus, to prevent any possible litigation, proper disposal that normally requires silver recovery from film is necessary.

Health laws govern the punishment of establishments and facilities that fail to observe safety x-ray disposal procedures. Silver can be highly dangerous if it is accidentally absorbed underground and reaches the waterways. However, this is not rare. Silver processing is offered by numerous facilities dealing with film disposal. In fact, most document management companies offer this service, since they are usually the ones with the most experience in the field.

After recovery, silver can be recycled into silver-based products. Research shows that 25% of silver products are attributed to recycling. Out of this figure, roughly 75% come from films like x-rays. Thus, aside from ensuring that there is no litigation risk, x-ray film disposal can add to a facility's income. After cleaning the films, the recovered silver can delivered back to the client, or sold to the disposal company.

If you're wondering about the usual x-ray disposal methods, there are three popular ones used. The first one is by film burning. However, this isn't popular for clients that want to have the silver recovered, since burning doesn't make it possible to make any recovery. If there is a need for recovery, the methods applied are either silver oxidation or solution exposure.

Once the silver has been removed from the film, the film is cleansed as plastic and subsequently recycled. Meanwhile, the solution that contains the silver undergoes a different process to recover and transform the silver into solid form. In this phase, the silver can be recycled for use in new x-rays.

Since the effects of improper disposal of x-ray films is far-reaching, most disposal facilities have established their own forms of insurance to keep clients from any form of liability. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA governs the processes and practices of film disposal facilities. Thus, there are special requirements in terms of location, methods, and equipments used to ensure that no risks are involved.

In cases where silver isn't required by the facility that requested the disposal, the process usually ends once the silver components have been separated from the films. The films are still recycled, but the silver is tagged as hazardous and sent to facilities dealing with toxic wastes. This ensures that the environment and the community remain free from hazards even if the silver is not recycled.

The option to recover silver or not is at the x-ray facility's discretion. In selecting a provider for simple x-ray film disposal or silver recovery from film, there are a number of important factors to be considered and weighed. If you want to learn more about this topic, or if you want to talk to a facility within your location to help you understand the processes better, just visit http://www.shreddingservices4.com.




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