BILL NUMBER: SB 419	ENROLLED
	BILL TEXT

	PASSED THE SENATE  AUGUST 17, 2004
	PASSED THE ASSEMBLY  AUGUST 12, 2004
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JULY 23, 2004
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 24, 2004
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 15, 2004
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 29, 2003
	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 2, 2003

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Scott
   (Coauthors:  Assembly Members Cohn and Koretz)

                        FEBRUARY 20, 2003

   An act to amend Section 118275 of the Health and Safety Code,
relating to medical waste.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 419, Scott.  Medical waste:  containment.
   Existing law, the Medical Waste Management Act, administered by
the State Department of Health Services, regulates the management and
handling of medical waste.  Existing law establishes the
requirements for containing or storing medical waste.
   This bill would allow the consolidation of medical waste into a
common container provided that the waste is treated by an approved
extreme high heat technology and the container is labeled as required
by the bill.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Section 118275 of the Health and Safety Code is amended
to read:
   118275.  To containerize or store medical waste, a person shall do
all of the following:
   (a) Medical waste shall be contained separately from other waste
at the point of origin in the producing facility.  Sharps containers
may be placed in biohazard bags or in containers with biohazard bags.

   (b) Biohazardous waste, except biohazardous waste as defined in
subdivision (g) of Section 117635, shall be placed in a red biohazard
bag conspicuously labeled with the words "Biohazardous Waste" or
with the international biohazard symbol and the word "BIOHAZARD."
   (c) Sharps waste shall be contained in a sharps container pursuant
to Section 118285.
   (d) (1) Biohazardous waste, which meets the conditions of
subdivision (f) of Section 117635 because it is contaminated through
contact with, or having previously contained, chemotherapeutic
agents, shall be segregated for storage, and, when placed in a
secondary container, that container shall be labeled with the words
"Chemotherapy Waste," "CHEMO," or other label approved by the
department on the lid and on the sides, so as to be visible from any
lateral direction, to ensure treatment of the biohazardous waste
pursuant to Section 118222.
   (2) Biohazardous waste, which meets the conditions of subdivision
(f) of Section 117635 because it is comprised of human surgery
specimens or tissues which have been fixed in formaldehyde or other
fixatives, shall be segregated for storage and, when placed in a
secondary container, that container shall be labeled with the words
"Pathology Waste," "PATH," or other label approved by the department
on the lid and on the sides, so as to be visible from any lateral
direction, to ensure treatment of the biohazardous waste pursuant to
Section 118222.
   (e) Sharps waste, which meets the conditions of subdivision (f) of
Section 117635, shall be placed in sharps containers labeled in
accordance with the industry standard with the words "Chemotherapy
Waste," "Chemo," or other label approved by the department, and
segregated to ensure treatment of the sharps waste pursuant to
Section 118222.
   (f) Biohazardous waste, which are recognizable human anatomical
parts, as specified in Section 118220, shall be segregated for
storage and, when placed in a secondary container for treatment as
pathology waste, that container shall be labeled with the words
"Pathology Waste," "PATH," or other label approved by the department
on the lid and on the sides, so as to be visible from any lateral
direction, to ensure treatment of the biohazardous waste pursuant to
Section 118222.
   (g) Biohazardous waste, which meets the conditions specified in
subdivision (g) of Section 117635, shall be segregated for storage
and, when placed in a container or secondary container, that
container shall be labeled with the words "INCINERATION ONLY" or
other label approved by the department on the lid and on the sides,
so as to be visible from any lateral direction, to ensure treatment
of the biohazardous waste pursuant to Section 118222.
   (h) A person may consolidate into a common container all of the
wastes in this section provided that the consolidated waste is
treated by an extremely high heat technology approved pursuant to
subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section
118215.  The container shall be labeled with the biohazardous waste
symbol and the words "HIGH HEAT ONLY" or other label approved by the
department on the lid and on the sides, so as to be visible from any
lateral direction, to ensure treatment of the biohazardous waste
pursuant to this subdivision.