House+Bill+Number+7163

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Sponsor and Bill Number:
HR7163 This bill is sponsored by Representative Frank Pallone (New Jersey)

History:
There is a long history of the issue of what to do with all the waste generated in America. After the Industrial Revolution, with so much new technology, many new types of waste came into existence(such as nuclear and medical waste). This, paired with an inefficient disposal system made obsolete by an exploding urban population, made waste management and disposal a major issue. The first major waste management legislation was the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. This plan implemented a "cradle to grave" system. The purpose of this system was to track the effects of the quantity of garbage waste a person produced in their lifetime.

Goals:
The point of this bill is to track medical waste, such as used syringes, used cotton swabs, etc. from its origin to where it is disposed of. By doing this, less hospitals, doctor's offices, etc can slip through the cracks and less untreated medical waste will be released into the environment, potentially harming people, animals, and plant life.

Requirements:
This bill requires more training for workers who handle the medical waste, stricter rules on methods of disposal, and regular inspection of waste disposal facilities. Treatment methods that are approved by the government for disposal facilities to use are incineration, sterilization, interment(covering the waste in a solid material), and new microwave technology. These actions must be taken by at latest a year after this bill is passed. The producers of medical waste must provide a means of transporting the waste to the nearest disposal facility, and they must obtain from the government a written acknowledgment that they are correctly packaging and transporting the waste. The disposal facilities must regularly notify the source of the waste that the waste has been disposed of. The definition of medical waste by the Federal government is "Waste which is generated or produced as a result of the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto, or in the production or testing of biologicals and may include infectious agents." This bill also says that when sending waste to a disposal facility, the place where it is shipped from must package it in the uniform package provided by the government, which should be leak-proof so that the public is not harmed by the waste, and the source of the waste must put their name on the package (f.e. name of hospital) and where they are shipping the waste to.

Regulation:
The government will examine each source of medical waste, and record such facts as the volume of waste produced each month, the type of medical waste, and the impact on the environment of such wastes. States may also perform inspections on waste disposal centers within the state.

Consequences:
Any repeated violators of this bill may be fined up to $50,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 4 years. If a violator knowingly endangers any other person by improperly disposing medical waste, they may be fined up to $350,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 15 years.

Effects:
If this bill is not passed, then people who live near landfills where untreated medical waste is dumped will be exposed to the untreated waste. Much of this waste is extremely harmful if exposed to, such as pathogen-covered syringes and infected blood. Such exposure to medical waste could cause very serious diseases, and could help spread pathogens remaining on cotton swabs, syringes, and spoiled blood. These effects in pregnant women could also lead to premature birth, cancer in infants, and birth defects.

Implementation:
This bill also grants public schools money for safe syringe disposal programs. This bill also calls for a Federal plan that helps states that produce more medical waste than the treatment facilities in that state can process.

My Thoughts:
Here is one solution to the problem of medical waste. There would be an initial cost to build such machines, but the result would be completely hazard-free waste and a more efficient disposal system. It could then be put into circulation with regular household trash. media type="youtube" key="2Q-bqeZczHU" height="344" width="425"

Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q-bqeZczHU Environmental Management Department. "Medical Waste Management Act." __El Dorado__ __County__. 13 Nov. 2008. 9 Dec. 2008 . Pallone, Frank. "Medical Waste Management Act of 2008." __The Library of Congress__. 26 Sept. 2008. 9 Dec. 2008 . Robinson, Eugene, Jr. "Solid Waste Disposal Act of 2008." __E-notes__. 2001. 9 Dec. 2008 . Lund, Herbert. "Household Hazardous Wastes." __The McGraw-Hill Recycling Handbook__. 2nd ed. New York City: McGraw-Hill, 2001. 21.1-21.2.