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kyj 1 .4 Oj LOO &IIIIIN41 VW" DI 1 :4 -XV4 I Lej e Vol z I on I <br />11 <br />mi di al Waste <br />*n August 29, 1990, the California Legislature passed the Califo a Me c <br />Management Act, and on September 30, 1990, the Governor signed the Act into law. The <br />Medical Waste Management Act sets forth specific requirements regarding the handling, <br />veatment and disposal of medical waste. The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors <br />designated Public Health Services -Environmental Health Division (PHS-EHD) as the local <br />enforcement agency for the Act on August 27, 1991. <br />The new law is a cuhnination of extensive input by the Legislature, regulated medical, <br />dental, veterinary professionals, treatment facties, and the regulators, to achieve a safe <br />and more comprehensive level of medical waste management. The new law redefines <br />infectious waste as medical waste and establishes methods for handling, tracking, record <br />keeping, hauling, and disposal by all generators and other handlers of such waste. The law <br />applies to all generators of medical waste and includes hospitals, nursing homes, <br />-�-inri�,-clim'cs—,-Liboratoriess6et shops,. and other health facilities <br />or generators. However, only medical waste generators or faties that provide onsite <br />treatment of medical waste and/or generate 200 pounds or more of medical waste per <br />month are required to register with PHS-EHD, pay a permit fee, and complete a medical <br />waste management plan to show compliance with the Act. A questionnaire, registration <br />form, guidelines for a medical waste management plan, and a copy of the new law, are <br />included in this package for your information and completion as appropriate. <br />Please keep in mind that medical waste generators who are exempt from registration <br />requirements are still responsible for the proper handling and disposal of all medical waste <br />as prescribed in the Act. <br />Achieving better control over the management of medical waste calls for a cooperative <br />effort between the health care community and the city, county, state health and <br />environmental health agencies. We are certain that compliance with the Medical Waste <br />Management Act of 1990 will result in an overall improvement in the handling, storage, <br />transportation, treatment, and ultimate disposal of medical waste. We also believe that the <br />new law will be more effective and will better serve to protect the public health in San <br />Joaquin County. <br />4Ron EaVlifioti, K.E.H4&, Director <br />Environmental Health Division <br />0 <br />