A-202 A multisite analysis of solid waste generation from 1 million basic metabolic panels

Abstract Background Clinical laboratory operations generate large amounts of waste despite several initiatives for implementation of sustainable practices in laboratory medicine. The basic metabolic panel (BMP) is one of the most routinely performed tests in clinical chemistry. This study evaluated identifiable waste generated to perform BMPs across major chemistry analyzer platforms for a period of one year and estimated the waste that would be produced for running 1 million BMPs. Methods Measurements for readily identifiable consumable waste for BMPs were performed across five academic medical centers encompassing four different wet chemistry platforms (Abbott Alinity, Beckman AU5800, Roche cobas c502 and Siemens Atellica) and one dry chemistry platform (Ortho Vitros 4600). For each study site, vendor purchases during the calendar year 2022 were used to calculate annual consumable consumption for materials required for a BMP. Consumable waste was defined as any quality control (QC), calibrator, reagent, dry slides, package insert paperwork and associated packaging material required for the analysis of the BMP and were separated into plastic, cardboard, paper, glass, and rubber solid waste categories. Each of these components were weighed separately. To account for à la carte, comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) and other panel orderings, a correction factor (45%) was applied across all reagent consumables. The projected solid waste for 1 million BMPs was estimated for each study site. Results The total amount of waste generated from 1 million BMPs across the four sites using wet chemistry platforms was 3337 kg and 160593 kg for the dry chemistry platform. Total estimated solid waste for the wet chemistry analyzer systems (n=4) to perform 1 million BMPs were 995 kg, 1274.4 kg, 579.2 kg and 488.6 kg out of which 298 kg, 379 kg, 163.3 kg, and 60 kg accounted for QC waste processes on the Abbott Alinity, Beckman AU5800, Roche cobas c502 and Siemens Atellica automated analyzers, respectively (Figure A). Similarly, total waste generation for the dry chemistry analyzer (Ortho Vitros 4600) for 1 million BMPs was estimated to be 160593 kg, which included 160.5 kg for QC materials (Figure B). Variations in QC practices (2 vs 3 levels) as well as conventional and tube-based QC materials used were noted at each site. Conclusion Analysis of BMPs generates enormous amounts of solid waste across major diagnostic platforms. These findings emphasize the urgent need for recycling and waste-reduction strategies in diagnostic laboratories to reduce their environmental footprint.