BILL ANALYSIS
SB 419
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 22, 2004
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Rebecca Cohn, Chair
SB 419 (Scott) - As Amended: June 15, 2004
SENATE VOTE : Not relevant.
SUBJECT : Medical waste: containment.
SUMMARY : Allows consolidation into a common container all
medical waste, as specified, provided that the consolidated
waste is treated by an approved plasma arc technology or another
method acceptable to the Department of Health Services (DHS).
Requires the medical waste container to be labeled with the
words "PLASMA ARC TECHNOLOGY," or other label approved by DHS,
on the lid and sides, so as to be visible from any lateral
direction, to ensure treatment of the biohazardous waste.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Medical Waste Management Act, administered by
DHS, to regulate the management and handling of medical waste.
2)Establishes requirements for containing or storing medical
waste.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THE BILL . According to the author, this bill will
allow hospitals choosing to use extremely high heat
technologies to combine wastes and create a more efficient
on-site medical waste disposal system. The author points out
that combining the waste would save hospitals money and
decrease any possibility of error when separating medical
waste.
2)HIGH HEAT TECHNOLOGY . According to background information
provided by the author, the plasma arc treatment process is an
example of high heat technology that completely eliminates
medical waste by the production of a synthetic gas, which is
subsequently used to produce electricity, and nothing goes to
landfills after this treatment process. An example of the
SB 419
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plasma arc technology is the plasma enhanced melter (PEM)
which is a high temperature gasification process. PEM
converts organic materials, such as paper, plastic or
cardboard, into an energy bearing gas for production of
electric power in an internal combustion engine powered
generator, for production of hydrogen fuel for a fuel cell, or
for the commercial production of hydrogen for vehicle use.
The system operates at a very high temperature (above 1800?F
or 1000?C) where the waste materials chemically react with
steam to produce the energy bearing gas mixture. Inorganic
material in the medical waste stream such as sharps and glass
are melted and recovered for recycle and no waste is sent to a
landfill. The background information also indicated that the
gasification process has been tested and shown to produce
insignificant toxic air emissions.
3)AUTHOR'S AMENDMENTS . The author wishes to delete reference to
plasma arc technology in the bill and replaceit with the words
"high heat."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Healthcare Association
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Rosielyn Pulmano / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097