The discussion in the academy on solid urban waste residues (UWR) is analyzed, with health service waste (HSW) being an integral part of UWR, not necessarily in terms of the amount generated, but due to the risk potential to collective and environmental health. The scope of the study was to verify the vulnerability of UWR handling in primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare units in João Pessoa in the state of Paraíba. This involved a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive investigation of the handling of UWR, using a checklist and analytical evaluation of the vulnerability of HSW handling for data collection. It was detected that 21.05% of the establishments failed to separate hazardous waste, 26.34% did not standardize plastic disposal bags, and 47.37% of the workers responsible for collection were not trained to handle HSW. It was concluded that the vulnerability of HSW handling in João Pessoa in the order of 48.02%, was significant, potentially contributing to the deterioration of environmental and collective health and leading to a public health problem.
Environmental health; Health service waste; Collective health; Healthcare facilities; Vulnerability
