New York, New Jersey Pass Joint System to Track Medical Wastes

The governors of New York and New Jersey stood on the deck of a fireboat in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty Wednesday to announce stringent joint regulations designed to stem the pollution of their states’ beaches with medical wastes.

Millions of bathers in both states have been furious this summer because authorities have been forced to close a series of normally crowded beaches when syringes, blood vials and other hospital and laboratory debris washed ashore. The pollution has occurred during the third hottest summer in New York City since 1869--muggy months when subway stations are saunas, tempers are short and power supplies are strained.

“The recent washups of medical debris on beaches throughout the Northeast have emphasized the urgent need for strict controls of potentially infectious medical waste,” said Gov. Mario M. Cuomo of New York.

Increased Penalties

“The regulations announced today, coupled with increased criminal penalties for those who violate infectious waste disposal laws and increased enforcement efforts, will help protect our citizens and our environment from the incidents that have plagued our beaches this summer,” Cuomo said.

“This interstate agreement represents a major step toward addressing and eventually solving the increasingly serious problem of infectious medical waste which has plagued the shorelines of both New York and New Jersey,” said Gov. Thomas H. Kean of New Jersey.

“The waters of the world have reached the end of their patience and tolerance,” Kean added, standing with Cuomo on the stern of the 134-foot long fireboat Firefighter. “It’s time we reach the end of ours. We will not tolerate the outrageous ways waste is disposed.”

The agreement between New York and New Jersey establishes a tracking system for infectious wastes and requires health care facilities and laboratories generating the materials to put their name and address on each bag.

Must Notify State

A four-part manifest system will follow the movement of waste until its eventual safe disposal. A shipping form will be initiated by the generator of the material and copies given to the hauler and the disposal facility. If the hospital or laboratory doesn’t receive a completed manifest from the disposal facility within 20 days of shipment, the facility generating the waste has the responsibility to notify the state departments of environmental protection.

State inspectors will check the files of medical facilities and waste haulers to be sure they are complying with the new system of record keeping.

The regulations also require haulers of infectious wastes to maintain detailed logs of their cargoes and that all vehicles carrying the waste to dump sites be labeled with the word “infectious.”

The new regulations in both states go into effect immediately. Efforts also are under way to increase criminal penalties for medical waste polluters.

‘Edge of a New Era’

“The syringes have disgusted everyone,” Cuomo said. “You are at the edge of a new era of environmental action. The people will demand it.”

“While these new regulations tighten the infectious waste handling, treatment and disposal system, they represent only one step in what must be a cooperative effort with the health industry to develop long-term solutions,” said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. David Axelrod. “New technology may be needed to deal with the 125 tons of infectious waste currently generated daily by health care facilities and clinical laboratories in New York State.”