While patients are supposed to dispose of needles and other injection equipment in sturdy containers, many do not, which leaves people who collect municipal waste at risk of accidental needle sticks and bloodborne infections.
A recent study from Attica, Greece, found that 15% of waste collectors had been exposed to HBV compared to a 2.5% infection rate among white-collar workers.
The researchers screened 50 waste collectors, who reported frequent exposure to needle-stick injuries at work, and a similar number of office workers who are not exposed to waste. In the study, only one worker tested positive for hepatitis C exposure.
"Our study corroborates previous results of an increased prevalence of hepatitis B infection among municipal waste collectors," researchers wrote in the Greek journal (PMID: 25551841).
"Vaccination against HBV among municipal solid waste collectors and promotion and use of safer methods for the collection of non-hospital medical waste could represent potential measures for the prevention of hepatitis B infection among municipal waste collectors," they concluded.
