**11. Conclusions**

The problem of HCW management in general and hazardous and nonbiodegradable portion thereof is too big to be ignored or else it will boomerang into something, which will be very difficult to manage. Though, at first sight, it does not look that severe a close analysis reveals that it is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emission and comprehensively affects all the components of the environment and contributes to global warming. One of the serious aspects of HCW is its threat to the health of humans and animals as a good part of HCW contains infectious waste. The HCW contaminate the air, water, and soil of the surrounding environment releasing toxic substance like chemicals including heavy metals and radioactive substances, carcinogenic toxic gases like dioxin and furan, and causing many health issues not only in humans but also in animal species. The surrounding areas in dumping and processing sites are affected by these pollutants making them inhabitable. There is an urgent need for comprehensive research on the health hazards of HCW and measures to prevent them, processing of HCW and development of biomarkers for risk assessment of HCW, and a standard protocol for its processing that can be made mandatory to be followed by HCI. Unless there are universal consensus and framework for dealing with HCW the problem will not be solved. The healthcare industry needs to adopt eco-friendly approaches and operations and initiate whatever it takes to really become a health care provider and not itself become a threat to the health of living and nonliving environment by indiscriminate toxic HCW generation. Measures like extensive awareness and training programs, setting up environment-friendly hospitals, and avoiding single-use materials should be undertaken. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, and dispose should be the governing principles of HCW management. With collective responsibility, sincerity and honest efforts the menace of HCW in general and nonbiodegradable in specific can be not only controlled but contained for good of the environment in general and human health in specific.

*The Toxicity of Environmental Pollutants*
