Northwell Health is looking to minimize the risk of spreading coronavirus.

Northwell has become the first health system in the United States to implement a new technology that breaks down medical waste from lab tests in a safe and environmentally friendly way.

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According to Northwell, the technology was developed by Irish-based company Technopath Clinical Diagnostics. The system, called the Envetec 200, shreds and disinfected infectious waste and kills all COVID-19 viruses in the process.

 

The Envetec 200 can process 300 pounds of waste per hour and can handle about 2.5 times the amount of medical waste currently generated at Northwell’s lab.

Dr. Dwayne Breining, executive director of Northwell Labs, says the latest technology will help eliminate any potential risks associated with large-scale testing for COVID-19.

“We are extremely confident that the Envetec system provides us with the best-in-class technology solution for treating hazardous health care waste at source and also eliminates any unknown risk of infection to the wider community,” says Dr. Breining.