NY Pub Health L § 1389-AA (2021)
2021 New York Laws PBH - Public Health Article 13 - Nuisances and Sanitation Title 13 - Storage, Treatment and Disposal of Regulated Medical Waste 1389-AA - Definitions.

§  1389-aa. Definitions.   1. "Regulated medical waste" shall mean any of the following waste which is generated in the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in production and testing of  biologicals,  provided,  however,  that "regulated   medical  waste"  shall  not  include  any  hazardous  waste identified or listed pursuant to section 27-0903  of  the  environmental conservation  law,  or  any  household  waste  as defined in regulations promulgated under such section.  (a) Cultures and stocks. This waste shall include cultures and  stocks of  agents  infectious  to  humans, and associated biologicals, cultures from medical  or  pathological  laboratories,  cultures  and  stocks  of infectious agents from research and industrial laboratories, wastes from the production of biologicals, discarded live or attenuated vaccines, or culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate or mix cultures.  (b)  Human  pathological  wastes.  This  waste  shall  include tissue, organs, and body parts (except teeth and the  contiguous  structures  of bone  and gum), body fluids that are removed during surgery, autopsy, or other  medical  procedures,  or  specimens  of  body  fluids  and  their containers, and discarded material saturated with such body fluids other than   urine,  provided  that  the  commissioner,  by  duly  promulgated regulation, may exclude such  discarded  material  saturated  with  body fluids  from  this definition if the commissioner finds that it does not pose a significant risk to public health. This waste shall  not  include urine   or  fecal  materials  submitted  for  other  than  diagnosis  of infectious diseases.  (c) Human blood and blood products.  This  waste  shall  include:  (i) discarded  waste human blood, discarded blood components (e.g. serum and plasma) containers with  free  flowing  blood  or  blood  components  or discarded  saturated  material  containing  free  flowing blood or blood components; and (ii) materials saturated with blood  or  blood  products provided  that  the  commissioner,  by  duly promulgated regulation, may exclude such material saturated with blood or blood products  from  this definition if the commissioner finds that it does not pose a significant risk to public health.  (d)  Sharps.  This waste shall include but not be limited to discarded unused sharps and sharps used in animal or human patient  care,  medical research,   or  clinical  or  pharmaceutical  laboratories,  hypodermic, intravenous,  or  other  medical  needles,  hypodermic  or   intravenous syringes  to  which  a  needle or other sharp is still attached, Pasteur pipettes, scalpel blades, or blood vials. This waste shall include,  but not  be  limited  to, other types of broken or unbroken glass (including slides and cover slips) in contact with infectious  agents.  This  waste shall  not  include  those  parts  of  syringes  from  which  sharps are specifically designed to be easily removed and from  which  sharps  have actually  been  removed,  and  which are intended for recycling or other disposal, so long as  such  syringes  have  not  come  in  contact  with infectious agents.  (e) Animal waste. This waste shall mean discarded materials, including carcasses,  body  parts, body fluids, blood, or bedding originating from animals known to be contaminated with infectious agents or from  animals inoculated during research, production of biologicals, or pharmaceutical testing with infectious agents.  (f)  Any  other waste material containing infectious agents designated by the commissioner as regulated medical waste.   2. "Storage" shall mean the containment of regulated medical waste  in such a manner as not to constitute disposal of such waste.    3. "Transport" shall mean the movement of regulated medical waste from the  point  of  generation to any intermediate points and finally to the point of ultimate disposal.   4. "Treatment" shall mean any method, technique or process designed to change the character or composition of any regulated medical waste so as to  either  neutralize such waste or to render such waste not infectious as approved by the commissioner pursuant  to  section  thirteen  hundred eighty-nine-dd of this title.   5.  "Infectious agents" shall mean any organisms that cause disease or an adverse health impact to humans, except  that  the  commissioner  may prescribe by regulation additional infectious agents as may be necessary to protect human health and the environment.