Many medical facilities do not follow proper waste procedures. Ever wonder what happens to medical hazardous waste? When research and health care facilities dispose of hazardous waste, there are certain guidelines -- primarily regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the US -- to ensure the waste is properly disposed of, with respect for natural resources like clean air and water. My curiosity got the best of me this week, and I decided to see how safe (or unsafe) hazardous waste disposal really is. According to one report, the majority of hospitals are not following EPA guidelines for safe disposal of hazardous waste. Yuck.

The EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is a policy designed to protect, conserve and recover our natural resources. Hospitals, research facilities and pharmacies produce more than 12 million pounds of hazardous waste, according to an EPA estimate in 2008. It follows that the EPA is concerned about proper management of these hazardous wastes, because the impact on natural resources could be devastating and unpredictable. Fines for a violation involving hazardous waste disposal and/or removal from a health care facility can be more than $37,000 per day per incident.

Individual employees can be held responsible for not dealing with hazardous materials properly. The major cause for EPA violations is a lack of awareness. In other words, individuals are not aware of relevant EPA regulations when disposing certain chemicals. The hard truth is that individuals -- not just the company -- can be held responsible for inappropriate waste disposal. For example, a pharmacy technician can be held liable for non-compliant handling and disposal of cyclophosphamide, as was the case for Nebraska Methodist Hospital, Omaha, Nebraska.

Fortunately, the number of chemicals the EPA is concerned about equates to less than 5 percent of all drugs. Epinephrine, formaldehyde, nicotine, wararfin, and cyclophosphamide are just a few chemicals on the EPA’s list of hazardous drugs.

New one container programs may make sorting waste at the facility, like is shown here, obsolete. A promising innovation for RCRA-compliant waste disposal is the Clean Harbors “One Container” program. Clean Harbors is the largest incineration company for hazardous wastes in this country. The One Container program is simple and proactive. All chemical waste is disposed of into one container, which reduces the concerns from the EPA about waste segregation systems while also reducing the extensive knowledge and training needed to segregate hazardous and non-hazardous waste products. The risk of wrongly identifying something as non-hazardous when it is actually hazardous is removed. The Clean Harbors announcement boasts a cost-neutral, high-standard, and totally EPA-compliant solution for hazardous waste disposal. The program has also satisfied all federal and individual state requirements for managing pharmaceutical wastes.

Working with chemicals is an integral component of many research and health care jobs today. These facilities should be clear on the EPA’s guidelines, and how a violation can impact business. Even if a facility is not subject to an audit or inspection by the regulatory authority, it is wise to follow the EPA’s guidelines as a best practice. Additionally, the EPA will hold liable anyone on the chain of custody documentation for hazardous waste removal, transportation, processing, etc., another reason that everyone working in the health care industry should take personal responsibility for proper waste disposal.