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The EPA has not had regulatory authority over medical waste since the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988 expired in 1991. Most states have since developed their own programs, resulting in significant differences for each state. A summary of this state’s requirements includes the following.
The Louisiana Department of Health regulates the packaging, labeling, storage, transportation, and treatment of medical waste (51 LAC 27). The regulations cover:
- 27-1 Refuse management;
- 27-3 Management of infectious waste, medical waste, and potentially infectious biomedical waste;
- 27-5 Requirements for small healthcare and medical facilities, household, and other small quantity generators of potentially infectious medical waste;
- 27-7 Transportation requirements;
- 27-9 Storage requirements;
- 27-11 Treatment requirements;
- 27-13 Disposal requirements; and
- 27-15 Treatment facility requirements.
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality regulates infectious wastes from hospitals and clinics. Infectious waste from hospitals or clinics may be deposited in Type I or II landfills only if it’s properly packaged and identified and is treated by a method approved by the Department of Health and Hospitals.
Related information
Citations
- Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 261
- Federal regulation 40 CFR Part 262
- Federal regulation 29 CFR 1910.1030
- Federal Regulation 49 CFR Subchapter C
- Louisiana Administrative Code Part 51-27
- Louisiana Administrative Code Section 33-7-7-711(D)(1)(e)