Local News in Brief : Program on Medical Waste Called For

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed health officials to recommend ways to implement a program to collect potentially infectious medical waste from small medical offices.

In calling for the program, the board expressed concern over published reports that hundreds of clinics in the county are disposing of syringes, blood vials and dressings without regulation.

“We need to take strong, decisive action,” said Health Director Robert Gates, who added that the question is how to coordinate and fund the crackdown with state and federal agencies. The supervisors raised the possibility of a licensing fee as a way for the county to recover costs.

Under state law, medical offices that generate less than 220 pounds of infectious waste a month are not subject to regulations regarding disposal. County officials, meanwhile, contend that their hazardous waste unit is so understaffed that it recently adopted a policy of not responding to citizen complaints about such refuse unless it poses a clear and present danger.