County Puts Strict Rules on Medical Refuse Disposal

Hoping to prevent a repeat of incidents last fall in which medical wastes washed ashore on local beaches, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved tougher rules regulating the disposal of potentially hazardous medical refuse.

By a unanimous vote, the supervisors approved an ordinance that sets higher standards for the storage and disposal of potentially infectious medical wastes, as well as establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations.

The measure, to take effect in July, was described by Supervisor Susan Golding as a means of “preventing the kinds of problems we had last year or, at the very least, making it easier to track down and punish” violators. The ordinance will replace emergency legislation that the board approved in November, shortly after medical wastes washed ashore on area beaches and were found dumped in a North County landfill.

Drafted by a 30-member task force created at Golding’s request, the ordinance mandates procedures for the handling and disposal of biomedical waste similar to those already in place governing the operations of companies that produce toxic wastes.

Specifically, the ordinance requires medical establishments to file documents with the county detailing the type and volume of medical wastes that they generate, storage methods and disposal arrangements. Though the ordinance applies only to the unincorporated areas of the county, Golding and other county leaders said Tuesday that they hope officeholders in incorporated cities will adopt similar measures.

Under the ordinance, an estimated 2,600 businesses that generate medical wastes would be inspected at least once every three years by county health officers, with the cost of the inspections to be defrayed by fees estimated at about $115.

In contrast to the county’s earlier permanent ordinance, which exempted medical facilities generating less than 220 pounds of waste per month, the new measure encompasses all firms, regardless of size.

Same Standard for All

“From now on, if you produce even one ounce of infectious waste, you’ll be held to the same standard as the big hospitals and other companies,” Golding said. “Before, you could produce up to 220 pounds a month--which is still quite a bit--and literally throw it in the trash can.”

Most infectious medical waste is processed in sterilizing containers called autoclaves, with the residue then being placed in so-called “red bags” for disposal at landfills. In addition to toughening standards for the kinds of wastes that must be treated in an autoclave before disposal, the new ordinance also specifies that the red bags be conspicuously labeled with the international bio-hazard symbol and list the producer’s name.

“That will make anyone think twice about just illegally dumping the waste,” Golding said. “We’ll have a much better tracking system.”

Redefining Terms

Another significant change incorporated in the new ordinance is the redefinition of terms such as “biomedical waste” and “bio-hazardous waste” to close loopholes in the earlier ordinance. By their very nature, such definitions tend to be as technical as they are graphic. For example, the ordinance describes “bio-hazardous waste” as including, among other things, “regulated body fluids,” “contaminated animal carcasses” and “tissues removed surgically or by autopsy.”

Describing the ordinance in layman’s terms, Golding explained that it essentially divides medical wastes into three categories, each with its own rules governing storage and disposal. The categories include:

- Infectious wastes that could transmit diseases to humans.

- “Aesthetically displeasing” but non-infectious discards such as used surgical gloves and bandages.

- So-called “sharps,” objects such as hypodermic needles and blades that, simply because of their design, pose a hazard.

Violations will be punishable by criminal penalties of up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. Civil penalties of as much as $15,000 a violation also could be imposed.

A wide range of environmentalists and medical officials praised the measure Tuesday, arguing that it improves governmental scrutiny of an issue of particular concern to San Diego because of the growing number of biomedical research firms based here.