BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  SB 419
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 4, 2004

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                   Judy Chu, Chair

                     SB 419 (Scott) - As Amended:  July 23, 2004 

          Policy Committee:                             HealthVote:18-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill allows the consolidation of biohazardous waste and  
          sharps waste into a common container, provided that the  
          consolidated waste is treated by an extremely high heat  
          technology (in excess of 1300 degrees Fahrenheit) approved by  
          the Department of Health Services (DHS) that results in the  
          destruction of pathogenic micro-organisms.  Additionally, this  
          bill requires the container to be labeled with the words "HIGH  
          HEAT ONLY" or other label approved by DHS to ensure treatment of  
          the biohazardous waste with high heat technology.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Minor, if any, state fiscal effect.

           COMMENTS  

           1)Purpose  .  This bill is sponsored by the California Healthcare  
            Association to allow hospitals choosing to use extremely high  
            heat technologies to combine medical waste and create a more  
            efficient on-site medical waste disposal system.  The author  
            argues that combining medical waste would save hospitals money  
            and decrease the possibility of error when separating medical  
            waste. 

           2)Background  .  The Medical Waste Management Act, administered by  
            DHS, regulates the management and handling of medical waste.   
            Existing law establishes requirements for containing or  
            storing medical waste, such as biohazardous waste (including  
            chemotherapy waste and pathology waste) and sharps waste  
            (e.g., syringes).  Medical waste must be contained separately  
            from other waste at the point of origin in the producing  








                                                                  SB 419
                                                                  Page  2

            facility.  For example, biohazardous waste must be placed in a  
            red biohazard bag labeled with the words "Biohazardous Waste"  
            or with the international biohazard symbol and the word  
            "BIOHAZARD."  Sharps waste must be contained in a sharps  
            container, and biohazardous waste that is contaminated through  
            contact with chemotherapeutic agents must be segregated for  
            storage and placed in a secondary labeled container.  

          This bill authorizes hospitals to consolidate these wastes into  
            a common container, provided the consolidated waste is treated  
            by an extremely high heat technology and the container is  
            labeled with the biohazardous waste symbol and the words "HIGH  
            HEAT ONLY" or other label approved by DHS. 
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Scott Bain / APPR. / (916) 319-2081