**8.1 Impact of biomedical waste on water**

HCW is a multi-component waste; improper disposal of HCW causes leaching out of pollutants from the waste dumping sites into the surrounding water bodies including groundwater affecting water quality. The water near landfills and dumping sites contain a relatively higher amount of pollutants including heavy metals [30–32] found that incinerated biomedical waste contains the elevated percentage of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and may pollute surface and groundwater by percolation of toxic substances. The analysis of water near HCW ash showed increased hardness at the levels of 1320 mg/L and chloride at 8500 mg/L. The levels of Al, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Ba, Fe, and especially Pb content in leachate were above the acceptable levels as per drinking water guidelines of WHO and EPA. Hence, it is also important to detoxify ash before disposal into landfills or reutilization [33, 34]. They cause indirect health hazards by conversion into other materials, breakdown, and decomposition. Consumption of contaminated drinking water and the resulting health issues may include cardiovascular disorders, neuronal damage, renal injuries, and risk of cancer and diabetes. Fabián Fernández-Luqueño et al. has comprehensively revived the health hazards of various metal contaminants on human health [35] Water is considered as the blood of the ecosystem. Heavy metals are extremely toxic to aquatic animals and cause histopathological changes, especially in fish even at low concentrations. They get accumulated in aquatic organisms as well as in vegetables and fruits grown using contaminated water and thus enter the food chain and propagate into other animals who feed on them thus increasing toxic effects to many folds [36].
