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Zoe-Anne Barcellos:
The blood is typically flushed down the drain, eventually entering the sewage system.
Although I am not a mortician, I work closely with a medical examiner/coroner. During an autopsy, gravity causes most of the blood to be drained from the body. This is not intentional, but rather a natural process. Subsequently, a mortician may or may not choose to embalm the body, depending on the family's preferences.
Autopsies are performed on a table with a drain at one end, positioned over a regular sink with a garbage disposal. The blood and bodily fluids flow down the table, into the sink, and then through the drain, ultimately entering the sewer system, just like any other sink or toilet waste, usually making its way to a water treatment facility.
You might be wondering if this is considered biohazardous waste and needs special handling. If we’re restricted from putting substances like oil or chemicals (such as formalin) down drains due to regulations, why isn’t blood treated in the same way? I would guess that water treatment plants effectively manage it. If not, regulations would likely be updated to address it.
However, any items contaminated with blood cannot be disposed of in regular trash. Most of the decedent's clothing is either kept as evidence or returned with the body to the funeral home, even if it’s stained with blood.
But items like gauze, medical tubing, papers, and other materials contaminated with blood or bodily fluids must be discarded in biohazard waste bins. These bins are lined with bright red bags, sealed in specially marked boxes, and taped shut. The boxes are stored in a garage until a specialized waste company comes to collect them. While I'm not entirely certain, I believe they are incinerated.
Additionally, any sharp or pointed objects—like needles, scalpels, etc.—must be disposed of in a sturdy ‘sharps’ container. Once these containers are two-thirds full, they are discarded into the biohazard waste bins.
Biological waste is handled differently because if it were sent to a landfill, blood (and the bloodborne pathogens it contains, like Hepatitis and HIV) could pose a risk to humans or animals. Rainwater could potentially carry it into untreated water systems.
This article was originally published on Quora. Click here to read it.
