Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0032-0739
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2005-08-18T04:00Z

Margaret
Masquelier/
R9/
US
EPA/
US
To
Jan
Matuszko/
DC/
USEPA/
US@
EPA
02/
16/
2005
04:
45
cc
PM
Jan
Pickrel/
DC/
USEPA/
US@
EPA,
Keith
Silva/
R9/
USEPA/
US@
EPA,

Matthew
Gluckman/
R5/
USEPA/
US@
EPA,
Richard
Witt/
DC/
USEPA/
US@
EPA
Subject
Re:
Current
version
of
CWT
FAQs
(
Document
link:
Jan
Matuszko)

Jan:

This
facility
has
only
offered
limited
information
regarding
the
waste
it
accepts
and
Region
9
has
not
inspected
this
facility.
I
suggested
the
president
of
the
company
send
us
a
letter
describing
the
wastes
accepted
and
treatment
process
in
more
detail
since
he
did
not
believe
that
the
facility
was
covered
under
the
CWT
regulations
and
he
has
not.

Here
is
the
information
I
have
on
the
facility,
which
was
provided
by
the
POTW:

It
receives
trucked,
biohazardous
waste
from
medical
facilities.
Some
examples
of
wastes
the
facility
receives
are
needles,
IV
bags,
and
soiled
paper
products.
The
facility
sterilizes
the
waste
in
an
autoclave
at
280F
for
35
minutes.
The
steam
condensate
from
this
process
and
water
used
to
clean
the
machine
and
process
area
are
discharged
to
the
POTW.
I
am
not
certain
what,
if
any,
other
activities
are
conducted
on­
site.

As
you
are
probably
aware,
mercury
is
routinely
used
in
health
care
industry.
Its
sources
include
labs,
patient
areas,
clinical
procedures
and
even
some
medications.
Mercury
is
found
in
blood
pressure
monitors,
dental
amalgam,
thermometers
or
thermostats,
esophageal
dilators,
Cantor
tubes
and
Miller
Abott
tubes,
and
histology
fixatives
and
stains.
Many
mercury
containing
cleaners
and
degreasers
are
found
in
labs,

housekeeping
departments,
and
maintenance
areas,
as
cited
on
a
document
on
the
EPA
website:
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
glnpo/
bnsdocs/
hgsbook/
hospital.
pdf
.
This
document
also
states
that
there
is
up
to
50
times
more
mercury
in
medical
waste
than
in
general
municipal
waste.

Given
the
many
potential
sources
of
mercury
used
in
health
care
facilities
there
are
numerous
paths
by
which
it
could
end
up
in
the
solid
waste,
which
would
be
transported
to
a
facility
like
the
one
I've
described.
If
present
in
the
solid
waste
(
ie.
broken
thermometers/
devices,
stains,
cleaning
solution
residues,
etc.)
it
can
volatilize
in
the
autoclave
during
sterilization
and
end
up
in
the
condensed
steam,
which
is
discharged
to
the
POTW.

Cadmium,
lead,
zinc,
arsenic,
and
various
solvents/
organics
are
also
present
in
medical
waste
and
are
of
concern
in
the
discharges
from
these
facilities.

Meg
Meg
Masquelier
USEPA­
Region
9
WTR­
7
75
Hawthorne
San
Francisco,
California
94105
415­
972­
3536