(a) Biomedical waste which has been treated in accordance with the provisions of this section and which has been rendered unrecognizable may be disposed of as municipal solid waste. Sharps shall be rendered unrecognizable prior to disposal in accordance with regulations adopted pursuant to section 21a-66. A solid waste facility shall not accept biomedical waste which is not packaged, labeled and marked as required by regulations adopted pursuant to section 22a-209 or which is not accompanied by a tracking form which complies with all applicable law.

(b) Biomedical waste shall be disposed of as follows:

(1) Chemotherapy waste shall be disposed of only by incineration;

(2) Pathological waste shall be disposed of only by incineration or interment;

(3) Infectious waste shall be disposed of only by (A) incineration; (B) discharge to a sanitary sewer, provided (i) such waste is in liquid or semisolid form, (ii) secondary treatment is available at the publicly owned treatment works or privately owned treatment works to which such waste is discharged, (iii) no municipal ordinance prohibits such discharge, (iv) such permits and other authorizations as are required by law have been obtained for such discharge, and (v) aerosol formation is minimized during such discharge to such sewer; or (C) any other method of decontamination which provides protection of the public health and the environment at least equivalent to that provided by the disposal methods specified in this subdivision and which is first described in writing to the commissioner and approved in writing by the commissioner. Infectious waste which is treated on site in accordance with this subsection shall be regulated as municipal solid waste;

(4) Needles which are specifically used to administer antineoplastic agents shall be handled in accordance with this section or regulations adopted under section 22a-209 for the handling of chemotherapy waste; and

(5) Syringes designed to deliver drugs into the human body in a manner other than injection shall be exempted from the disposal requirements of this section.

(c) No person shall:

(1) Deliver biomedical waste or cause biomedical waste to be delivered to any incinerator, whether located inside or outside of this state, unless such incinerator complies with all applicable law; or

(2) Operate an incinerator in which biomedical waste is burned unless such incinerator complies with all applicable law, including, but not limited to, regulations adopted pursuant to section 22a-174.

(d) Biomedical waste incinerator residue shall be managed as a special waste in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to section 22a-209.

(e) A steam sterilizer used to decontaminate biomedical waste shall be operated in accordance with the following requirements:

(1) In a gravity flow sterilizer, biomedical waste shall be subjected to a temperature of not less than two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit at fifteen pounds per square inch of gauge pressure for no less than sixty minutes.

(2) In a vacuum type sterilizer, biomedical waste shall be subjected to a temperature of not less than two hundred seventy degrees Fahrenheit at twenty-seven pounds per square inch gauge pressure for no less than forty-five minutes.

(3) Notwithstanding subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection, a different combination of operational time, temperature and pressure may be utilized for steam sterilization of biomedical waste if such combination is first described in writing to the commissioner and approved in writing by the commissioner. The commissioner shall not grant approval unless such combination is proven on the basis of thorough tests, including tests of its capacity to kill bacillus stearothermophilus and to completely and reliably kill all microorganisms in waste at design capacity.

(4) Biomedical waste shall be steam sterilized in its primary container. The primary container shall be placed in the sterilization chamber so that sufficient space is provided between the chamber walls and the container to allow the steam to penetrate the container. The primary container shall then be unsealed to allow the steam to penetrate the contents of the container.

(5) Unless the steam sterilizer is equipped to continuously monitor and record temperatures during the entire length of each sterilization cycle, the operator of such sterilizer shall affix to the primary container temperature-sensitive tape which indicates when the desired temperature is reached. Biomedical waste shall not be considered decontaminated unless the temperature-sensitive tape indicates that a temperature of at least two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit was reached during the sterilization process. A steam sterilizer which is used for the first time after July 1, 1994, shall automatically and continuously monitor and record temperatures throughout the entire length of each steam sterilization cycle.

(6) At least once during every forty hours of operation, tests shall be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the sterilization process, including tests of the capacity of such process to kill bacillus stearothermophilus. A log shall be maintained recording the dates and results of such test.

(7) At least once during every forty hours of operation, a sterilization unit shall be evaluated to determine whether it is operating properly with respect to temperature and pressure. A log shall be maintained recording the dates and results of such evaluations and the dates of calibration.

(8) For each sterilization unit a log shall be maintained recording, for each use, the date, time, operator, type and approximate amount of biomedical waste treated, the sterilization pressure reading and the poststerilization reading on the temperature-sensitive tape.

(f) Sharps shall be physically altered so as to render them unrecognizable in accordance with the regulations adopted pursuant to section 21a-66.

(g) If biomedical waste is treated or disposed of at the site where it was generated, the generator shall develop written procedures for each treatment or disposal method in use at such site which methods shall be consistent with the provisions of this section and shall ensure compliance with such procedures. Such procedures shall be incorporated into the biomedical waste management plan required by law and shall (1) assure the effectiveness of any treatment method in use and reflect acceptable standards of practice, (2) provide for and conduct an ongoing program of staff training on the implementation of such procedures and the requirements of this section, and (3) provide for a quality assurance program to assure compliance with the biomedical management plan prepared as required by law.

(P.A. 94-182, S. 3, 4.)

History: P.A. 94-182 effective July 1, 1994.