Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout13B_.1200_HearingOfficersReportA-1 HEARING OFFICER'S REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF PUBLIC HEARING AND COMMENT PERIOD Readoption and Amendments to 15A NCAC 13B .1201 - .1207 Medical Waste Management Environmental Management Commission August 28, 2019 FTIM Basic Information Commission: Environmental Management Commission Groundwater and Waste Management Committee Agency Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Waste Management, Solid Waste Section Title Medical Waste Management Citations 15A NCAC 13B .1201 - .1207 Description of the It is the responsibility of the Division of Waste Management Solid Waste Proposed Rules Section to regulate how solid waste is managed within the state under the statutory authority of the Solid Waste Management Act, Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes. State rules governing solid waste management are found in Title 15A, Subchapter 13B of the North Carolina Administrative Code. Rules adopted under the authority of 130A-309.26 which collectively establish standards for the transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal of medical waste are found in Subchapter 1313, Rules .1201 - .1207 Medical Waste Management. Agency Contact Jessica Montie Environmental Program Consultant Jessica. Montie@ncdenr.gov (919) 707-8247 Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; G.S. 15013-21.3A Statement of Necessity Rules .1201 - .1204 are proposed for readoption in accordance with G.S. 15013-21.3A. Rules .1205 - .1207 are proposed for repeal, with the requirements being consolidated into Rules .1202 - .1204. Hearing Officer EMC Commissioner Steve Keen Comment Period June 17, 2019 to August 16, 2019 Public Hearing July 9, 2019 Comment Summary One comment was received on the proposed rules at the public hearing in general support of the rule changes. One comment letter was received via e-mail on the proposed rules during the public comment period. One comment letter was received prior to the comment period and the comments were addressed in the amendments made prior to publication. Appendices 1 — Agency Head Certification 2 — Hearing Officer Designation Memo 3 — Notice of Text Published in the NC Register 4 — Hearing Transcript and Attendance Sheet 5 — Comment Letters Received 6 — Rule Text for Adoption A-3 Rule Summary and Backaround It is the responsibility of the Division of Waste Management (Division) Solid Waste Section (Section) to regulate how solid waste is managed within the state under the statutory authority of the Solid Waste Management Act, Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes. State rules governing solid waste management are found in Title 15A, Subchapter 13B of the North Carolina Administrative Code. Rules adopted under the authority of 130A-309.26 which collectively establish standards for the transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal of medical waste are found in Subchapter 13B, Rules .1201 -.1207 Medical Waste Management. Rules .1201 through .1207 are proposed for readoption pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A, and are required to be readopted by the Environmental Management Commission (EMC) by the deadline established by the Rules Review Commission (RRC) of April 30, 2021. General amendments to the rules include consolidation of the rule requirements into Rules .1201 through .1204 and repeal of Rules .1205 through .1207, technical corrections, updates to information such as Department names, addresses, websites, and references, and removal of redundant or unnecessary language. Amendments were made prior to the rule -making process to time limits and refrigeration requirements in response to comments received from stakeholders in 2016. Amendments also include clarification for the following: • facility operations plan requirements; • locations where medical waste is temporarily stored or transferred between vehicles during shipping; • process for alternative treatment method requests; • disposal options for noninfectious medical waste, trace chemotherapy waste, and non- hazardous pharmaceutical waste; • packaging requirements to be consistent with CFR and allow some exceptions for generator -loaded trailers; and • requirements for using ozonation as another optional method for treatment. The North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management approved the Regulatory and Fiscal Impact Analysis for these rules on February 21, 2019, and the analysis indicated a minor impact to state government, no impact to local government, and no substantial economic impact as a result of the amendments, but a net benefit to the regulated community. Public Comment and Hearing The proposed rules and the Regulatory Impact Analysis were approved by the EMC to proceed to public comment and hearing at the May 9, 2019 EMC meeting, and Commissioner Steve Keen was designated as the hearing officer. The Agency Certification and Hearing Officer Designation Memo are included in Appendix 1 and 2, respectively. The proposed rules were published in the NC Register, and the proposed rules and Regulatory Impact Analysis were published on the Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) website throughout the public comment period from June 17, 2019 through August 16, 2019. The Notice of Text as published in the NC Register (Volume 33 Issue 24, pages 2365 - 2373) is included in Appendix 3. A-4 The Division also sent a link to the published notice and regulatory impact analysis for public comment to interested parties including industry stakeholders, environmental groups, solid waste management organizations, licensing boards, the League of Municipalities, the Association of County Commissioners, and other state agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services via e-mail on June 14, 2019. Public Hearin The public hearing took place on July 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. at 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh. Commissioner Steve Keen served as the hearing officer for the public hearing. The hearing transcript and attendance sheet can be found in Appendix 6. Don Nuss with Stericycle, Inc. attended the hearing. Mr. Nuss provided a comment in support of the rules as published and thanked staff for their efforts in working with stakeholders to draft the rules. Public Comments Received The following comments were received either prior to beginning the rule -making process or during the comment period. Comments received prior to the rule -making process were addressed in the amendments to the rules prior to publication. Copies of the comment letters are included in Appendix 5. Comment #1: Submitted Prior to the Rule -making Process Submitted By. Alan H. McConnell, Kilpatrick, Townsend, and Stockton, LLP, Counsel for Stericycle, Inc. Date: June 27, 2016 Comment: The comment letter expressed concerns regarding various requirements for storage and refrigeration time limits throughout the existing rules. Agency Response: The Division of Waste Management held eight stakeholder meetings between June 19, 2017 and April 10, 2018, both in person and by conference call, with various stakeholders that included staff representing Stericycle, Inc. A summary of the stakeholder meetings can be found on the Section's website at https://deg.nc.gov/about/divisions/waste- management/solid-waste-section/rules-review#medical-waste. The comments were discussed and the rule amendments were drafted during these stakeholder meetings, and the amendments were made to the rules prior to presentation of the proposed rules at the May 9, 2019 EMC meeting and subsequent publication for comment. Comment #2: Submitted During the Public Comment Period Submitted By: Cara Simaga, Director of Government Affairs, Stericycle, Inc. Date: August 16, 2019 Comment: "We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Division and other stakeholders to make the modifications and clarifications needed to improve the medical waste regulations in the State. We appreciate the recommendations the Division has already incorporated into the proposed regulations, however, have the following comments specifically related to customer -loaded trailers under 15A NCAC 1313.1203(a)(9). ►_V7 This section currently states: `The requirement in Part (E) of this Subparagraph does not apply to customer -loaded trailers, except that all packages accessible from the cargo area door(s) shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator prior to transport from the generating facility. The remaining medical waste packages shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator when they are removed from the customer loaded trailer unless the medical waste packages are treated at that site within 24 hours.' Part (E) in the above proposed text refers to the date of shipment from the generating facility. During the stakeholder discussions we expressed to the Division that the regulations as related to customer -loaded trailers were problematic for transporters and treatment facilities to comply with because they do not fully offload all waste to observe it before transporting. This section tried to take this request into consideration however it does not contemplate when waste may be offloaded temporarily to be transferred to another treatment facility. For example, a customer - loaded trailer may be loaded with medical waste that needs to be sent for incineration such as pathological waste, but also be loaded with sharps waste that can be autoclaved. Such a trailer may first arrive at an autoclave facility where the sharps waste is removed for treatment, but the pathological waste would need to be transferred to an incineration facility. This takes additional time during transport and treatment and the 24-hour requirement would be impractical to comply with. Part (E) of this subpart also requires that the date of shipment from the generator be physically written on the container. Many transporters and treatment facilities now utilize technology (such as barcoded containers or labels) to track containers through the shipment process. For example, Stericycle utilizes a proprietary Biotrack system where the generator information, container content, and the shipping document is fully imbedded in the barcode on the container. This enables us to track the container through each of our systems to final treatment. This also allows us to have the generator ship date electronically available at any point to an inspector. Based on these two factors we would request the following be taken into consideration: Allow for electronic tracking to be able to provide adequate compliance with the date tracking requirement. This information is more impactful and reliable than if it were handwritten as the date it was shipped. For those facilities where an electronic option is not available, that the time be extended to 72 hours to provide for adequate time to transfer and treat waste. After 72 hours the waste would have to be marked properly with the date of shipment. Please see the recommended modification to the language for the section below with changes in bold: `The requirement in Part (E) of this Subparagraph does not apply to customer -loaded trailers, except that all packages accessible from the cargo area door(s) shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator prior to transport from the generating facility. Where available the medical waste transfer or storage operation can provide electronic records to document the date of shipment of undated containers. If electronic records are not available, the remaining medical waste packages shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator when they are removed from the customer loaded trailer unless the medical waste packages are treated at that site within 24 hours, or are transferred to be treated at another permitted treatment facility within 72 hours."' A-6 Agency Response: The Division engaged in continued discussion with Stericycle, Inc. staff following the submittal of the comment. Based on further discussion, the Division is addressing this comment by revising Rule .1203(a)(9)(D) and (E) to allow exemptions to the requirement for package labels on all packages to contain the treatment facility contact information and the date of shipment, if the package label contains a tracking number that can be matched to a record that contains this information, and the facility or transporter will provide that information during an inspection and upon request. The Division is also revising Rule .1204(b)(4)(H) to require that a contingency plan for a facility and transporter contain an emergency contact number that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week to provide this information, if needed. The proposed paragraph at the end of Rule .1203(a)(9) allowing the exemption only for generator -loaded trailers is being removed because the revisions described above allow the exemptions for all packages if they are tracked with a tracking number. Summary One comment letter was submitted in 2016 on behalf of Stericycle, Inc., and the comments were addressed in the amendments as published. One comment was provided by Stericycle, Inc at the public hearing in general support of the rule amendments, and one comment was submitted by Stericycle, Inc. via e-mail during the public comment period with a requested change to Rule .1203(a)(9), regarding the date labeling of packages on trailers loaded by the generator. Rule .1203(a)(9) is being revised after the comment period to address the comment, and the Division also chose to make some minor technical corrections and clarifications to the Rules after the comment period. These changes are highlighted in the rule text for adoption provided in Appendix 6. These changes are not expected to affect the fiscal impact of the rule amendments, therefore the regulatory impact analysis was not changed from what was published on the DEQ website during the comment period. Hearing Officer's Recommendation The Hearing Officer's Recommendation is that the Environmental Management Commission readopt 15A NCAC 13B Rules .1201 through .1204 and repeal Rules .1205 through .1207, as provided in Appendix 6 with minor changes in response to a comment, and for clarification after publication in the NC Register. A-7 APPENDIX 1 Agency Head Certification A-8 CERTIFICATION OF THE AGENCY HEAD REGARDING COMPLETION OF A FISCAL NOTE AND RULE ANALYSIS IN RE: 15A NCAC 13B .1201 - .1207 Medical Waste Management FINDINGS The Chair of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission ("the Commission") is appointed by the Governor to guide and coordinate the activities of the Commission in fulfilling its duties. G.S. § 143B-284. The Commission has the power and duty to promulgate rules to be followed in the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the water and air resources of the State. G.S. § 143B-.282(a). The undersigned Chair of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission hereby certifies that the attached rules comply with the rulemaking principles set out in Executive Order No. 70 as amended by Executive Order 48 (2014). The Chair specifically certifies the following: 1. The attached rules are necessary because the rules are required by federal law, citation: x required by state law, citation: G.S. 150B-21.3A x deemed necessary by the agency to serve the public interest 2. These rules were based on sound, reasonably available scientific, technical, economic, and other relevant information that can be found in the rulemaking record. The rulemaking record can be found in the minutes of the Commission and in supporting documents. Those documents can be found on the Division of Waste Resource's webpage at http://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/water-resources/water- resources-commissions/environmental-management-commission, or may be requested from the Clerk of the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission at EMCclerk@ncdenr.gov. 3. The fiscal impacts of the rules have been analyzed and appropriate action taken as follows: The Commission determined that no fiscal note was required under G.S. § 150B-21.4; or x A fiscal note has been prepared and approved by the Office of State Budget and Management in accordance with G.S. § 15013-21.4. A copy of the fiscal note can be found in the rulemaking record at the locations described in (2) above. 4. The rules meet all other requirements of Executive Order No. 70. A-9 Based upon the foregoing Findings, and pursuant to the requirements of the North Carolina Administrative Procedures Act and Executive Order No. 70, the undersigned makes the following: CERTIFICATION The following proposed rules, 15A NCAC 13B .1201 - .1207, entitled "Medical Waste Management", are in compliance with Executive Order No. 70. This, the 9th day of May 2019 at Raleigh, North Carolina. Chair North Carolina Environmental Management Commission A-10 APPENDIX 2 Hearing Officer Designation Memo ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT COMMISSION NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY Roy Cooper, Governor Michael S. Regan, Secretary May 21, 2019 MEMORANDUM To: Steve P. Keen David W. Anderson Gerard P. Carroll Charles Carter Marion Deerhake Charles B. Elam Mitch Gillespie Steve Keen Member of the Environmental Management Commission From: Dr. A. Stanley Meibur� � " "` Chairman of Environmental Management Commission Subject: Hearing Officer Appointment A-11 John D. Solomon Chairman Julie A. Wilsey Vice Chairman Dr. Suzanne Lazorick Dr. Stan Meiburg Manning Puette Dr. Albert R. Rubin Clyde E. Smith, Jr. Richard Whisnant A public hearing has been scheduled for July 9, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in the Training Room (Room 1210) of the Green Square building located at 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh to accept comments on the proposed amendments and readoption of 15A NCAC 13B Section .1200 Medical Waste Management rules. I am hereby appointing you to serve as hearing officer for this hearing. Please receive all relevant public comment and report your findings and recommendations to the Environmental Management Commission. Ms. Jessica Montie will provide staff support for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jessica Montie at (919) 707-8247. ASM/lct cc: Lois Thomas Jessica Montie Hearing Record A-12 APPENDIX 3 Notice of Text Published in the NC Register TITLE 15A — DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY A-13 Notice is hereby given in accordance with G.S. 150B-21.3A(c)(2)g. that the Environmental Management Commission intends to readopt with substantive changes the rules cited as 15A NCAC 13B .1201-.1204 and repeal through readoption the rules cited as 15A NCAC 13B .1205-.1207. Pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.17, the Codifier has determined it impractical to publish the text of rules proposed for repeal unless the agency requests otherwise. The text of the rule(s) are available on the OAHwebsite at http:11reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac.asp. Link to agency website pursuant to G.S. 15011-19.1(c): https:lldeq.nc.gov/permits-regulations/rules-regulations/proposed-main Proposed Effective Date: November 1, 2019 Public Hearing: Date: July 9, 2019 Time: 6: 00 p.m. Location: NCDEQ Green Square Building, 217 West Jones Street, Raleigh, NC 27603, Room 1210 Reason for Proposed Action: Rules 15A NCAC 13B. 1201-3207 Medical Waste Management are proposed for readoption to comply with the Rule Review requirements pursuant to G.S. 150B-21.3A. Proposed amendments to the rules will provide clarification based on stakeholder input to the requirements for packaging, temporary storage locations, the use of ozonation as a treatment method, and disposal options for noninfectious medical waste, trace chemotherapy waste, and non -hazardous pharmaceutical waste. Proposed amendments will also give clarification on facility operations plan requirements, the process for submitting alternative treatment method requests, make technical corrections and provide updates to general information, give clarification of vague or unclear language, and remove redundant or unnecessary language by consolidating the seven rules into four rules. Comments may be submitted to: Jessica Montie, NC DEQ Division of Waste Management, Attn: Jessica Montie, 1646 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1646; phone (919) 707-8247; emailjessica. montie@ncdenr.gov Comment period ends: August 16, 2019 Procedure for Subjecting a Proposed Rule to Legislative Review: If an objection is not resolved prior to the adoption of the rule, a person may also submit written objections to the Rules Review Commission after the adoption of the Rule. If the Rules Review Commission receives written and signed objections after the adoption of the Rule in accordance with G.S. 150B-21.3(b2) from 10 or more persons clearly requesting review by the legislature and the Rules Review Commission approves the rule, the rule will become effective as provided in G.S. 150B-21.3(bl). The Commission will receive written objections until 5:00 p.m. on the day following the day the Commission approves the rule. The Commission will receive those objections by mail, delivery service, hand delivery, or facsimile transmission. If you have any further questions concerning the submission of objections to the Commission, please call a Commission staff attorney at 919-431-3000. Fiscal impact. Does any rule or combination of rules in this notice create an economic impact? Check all that apply. ® State funds affected ❑ Local funds affected ❑ Substantial economic impact (>= $1,000,000) ® Approved by OSBM ❑ No fiscal note required CHAPTER 13 - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SUBCHAPTER 13B - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTION .1200 - MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT 15A NCAC 13B .1201 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of the this Section, the following definitions apply: (1) 'Blood and body fluids" means liquid blood, serum, plasma, other blood products, emulsified human tissue, spinal fluids, and pleural and peritoneal fluids. Blood and body fluids does not include dialysates, feces, or urine if not removed during surgeries and autopsies. Duly"^`^" are not blood or body fl„:a^ under this definition. (2) "Generator" and "Generating facility" means mean any business, integrated medical facility, and volunteer or non- profit healthcare services where medical waste is produced, first beeames ^ waste, including bu4 not limited any medical or dental facility, mortuary, funeral home, laboratory, veterinary hospital hospital, and blood bai4E. bank; but does not include households. (3) "Integrated medical facility" means one or more health service facilities as defined in G.S. 131E-176(9b) that are: (a) located in a single county or two contiguous counties; (b) affiliated with a university medical school or that are under common ownership and control; and (c) serve a single service area. A-14 (4) "Medical waste" as means the term defined in G.S. 130A-290(17a). 128 A 1080 oT (5) "Microbiological waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(26) of this Subchapter. etti ifes and steeks e fin f etie ifid'astfial laboratories. (6) "Mier-owave tfea4mei-A" means treatment by mier-owa-ve energy faf sufAeient time to render- waste nan infeetious. "09 " " " -site �e�ns�s�te�*�i is-n�rs�te (9) "Off site" means the same or geographically contiguous property which may be divided by public or private right of . "Non -hazardous pharmaceutical waste" is a medical waste. It is a medical drug that is expired, unused, contaminated, damaged, or no longer needed or used for its prescribed purpose and that is not a hazardous waste as defined in G.S. 130A-290(8). "Nuisance" means odorous outside of the property boundary or transport vehicle; or attracting vermin or disease vectors. "Package" is the total contents of a box, drum, or vessel containing medical waste, including labeling and markings. (9) "Pathological waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(31) of this Subchapter.' *man tissues er-gans and body humans.pa-14s; and the eafeasses and body pa-i4s of all animals tha4 were knewn to have been exposed to pathogens that afe potentially dangerous to huma-as dufing r-eseafeh, wer-e used in the production of biolegieals or in vive testing of phafmaeeu4ieals, or- thm died with a Ime3A% or- suspeeted disease transmissible to "Record" means any data required to be kept on file by the operator or submitted to the Division in accordance with the rules of this Section. A record may be in hard cope. (paper) or electronic format that is legible and in English. tUl 40) "Regulated Medical Waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(34) of this Subchapter. blood and body fluids : , individual containers in volumes greater than 20 ml, microbiological waste, and pathologieal waste that have not been treated ptwsuant to Rule .1207 of this Section, 12 "Responsible party" means the entity that is in possession of and has accepted the regulated medical waste. 13 ""Sharps" means the term defined is G.S. 130A-309.26(a)(1). and ineludes needles syFinges with aftae oa needles, eapillaFy nibes, slides and o r- slips, and sealpel blades. 14 "Trace chemotherapy waste" means no more than three percent by weight of a medical drug used for chemotherapy. Trace chemotherapy waste includes gowns, gloves, wipes, and other handling, preparation, administration, cleaning, and decontamination items associated with chemotherapy. "Transfer or storage operations" is the act of, and process by which, regulated medical waste is removed from a transport vehicle and placed in another transport vehicle or in storage awaiting transport. "Transport vehicle" means a vehicle or other conveyance type used to transport regulated medical waste to and from transfer or storage operations or to and from a treatment facility, tU7 42-) "Treatment" as means the term defined in G.S. 130A-309.26(a)(2). "Treatment facility" means a regulated medical waste treatment facility_ permitted by the Division in accordance with the rules of this Subchapter. 19 "Solid waste" means the term defined in G.S. 130A-290(a)(35). History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff.' April 1, 1993. 1993: Readopted Eff.' November 1, 2019. 15A NCAC 13B .1202 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAL WASTE (a) Medical waste is subject to the requirements i all applicable rules in 15A NCAC 4-3$ 13B, "Solid Waste Management." (b) Sharps and other sharp objects such as syringes with attached needles, capillary tubes, slides and cover slips, lancets, auto injectors, connection needles and sets, exposed ends of dental wires, and objects that can penetrate the skin A4 the gene .a4ing f edit ..,>,alT. , shall be placed in a rigid, leak -proof when in an upright position, and puncture -resistant container, and eant inn . „-hie, is -igid leak „roof when in an upright position and ..,.tufe resistant. Contained s,.aps shall not be compacted prior to off -site tt transportation unless placed in a sealed compactor unit that is hauled off for disposal by the transporter. After- . lea-ving the generating faeility, the eantainer- and its eentents shall be handled in a manner- tha4 a -voids human eantaet with the • (c) Blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes of 20 milliliters frA or less whieh afe net stored in a seeufed area -est iet to authorized personnel prior- to off site transportation shall be packaged —in ae-eener-d—manee-e-, ivith the regula4ed medical waste packaging aments as described in Rule .1204(a)(1) of this Section or in a container suitable for sharps. Containers of blood and body fluids which are packaged in accordance with Rule .1204(a)(1) of this Section or in a container siiitable for sharps as required by this Rule shall be stored in a secured area and shall not be compacted prior to off -site transportation. (d) Regulated medical waste shall not be compacted. compacted prior to treatment. (e) Only the resnonsible nartv or their desienated renresentative shall have access to regulated medical waste (f) Medical waste shall not become putrescent. Putrescent medical waste shall be disposed of or treated within three calendar days. (a) Medical waste shall not become a nuisance. (h) Medical waste accented at transfer or storage operations or a treatment facilitv shall not be subiect to the reauirements of Rule .1203(a) and (b)(2) of this Section. (i) Medical waste treatment and disposal methods: Blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes greater than 20 milliliters shall be disposed of by sanitary sewer if the local sewage treatment authority has been notified; or treated by incineration or steam sterile - on. Microbiological waste shall be treated by incineration, steam sterilization, ozonation, microwave, or chemical treatment. Non -hazardous pharmaceutical waste shall be treated by incineration, returned to the vendor, reused, or disposed of at a municipal solid waste landfill. Pathological waste shall be treated by incineration or ozonation. Trace chemotherapy waste shall be treated by incineration or ozonation. Noninfectious medical waste and blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes of 20 ml or less may be recycled, disposed of in a municipal solid waste landfill or sanitary sewer, or treated by the treatment methods as described in this Paragraph. (i) Medical waste treated at the generatingfacility acility is not subject to the requirements of Paragraphs (o) (P), and (q) of this Rule, and Rule .1204(b)(1), (b)(3), and (b)(8) of this Section. (k) Crematoriums are not subject to the requirements of this Section. (1) Transport vehicles, transfer or storage operations, and treatment facilities shall: be kept free of leaked, spilled, and unpackaged medical waste; not contain porous floor coverings; be ventilated; not create a nuisance; and have a method of leak control or spill cleanup, including decontamination. (m) A responsible party shall be present when regulated medical waste is being transferred by means of transfer or storage operations. (n) Regulated medical waste shall be transported and stored in a manner that prevents exposure to the environment and inclement weather. (o) Unrefrigerated regulated medical waste shall be treated within 21 calendar days of shipment from the generator. (p) Refrigeration at an ambient temperature of a maximum of 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.22 degrees Celsius) shall be maintained for regulated medical waste not treated within 21 calendar days of shipment from the generator. (a) All regulated medical waste shall be treated within 60 calendar days of shipment from the generator. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff. January 4, 1993; March 1, jggj. 1991; Readopted ff. November 1, 2019. 15A NCAC 13B .1203 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE GENERATORS, TRANSPORTERS, AND TRANSFER AND STORAGE OPERATIONS (a) Regulated medical waste shall be treated prior to disposal. Acceptable methods of treatment are as follows: blood and body fNids in individual con4ainers involumes greater than 20 ml incineration or sanitary sewage systems, provided the sewage treaftnent authority is notified; (2) ; f3) pat-holegieal wastes— neinera4ien. (e) Regula4ed medieal waste tfeated in weer-danee with Paragraph (a) of this Rule ma�l be managed in accordance �A� 15A NC;,A i3B .0i0o .07 . (d) Creniator-itims are not s*eet to the requiremen4s of Rule.1207(3) of this Section. (e) A per -son who treats Regulated medical waste at the generating facility or within an integrated medical facility is not subject to f storage and record keeping requirements of Rule .120''n�rthis Section. not subjeet to the requirements of Rule . 1207(3)(a 1) of this Section unfil january (f) Generating facilities and integrated medieal f4eilities in operation on Oetober 1, 1990 that incinerate Regulated medical waste are- 1995, (a) Regulated medical waste packaging requirements: All Sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) cited in this Paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference, includingsubsequent ubsequent amendments and editions and can be accessed at no cost at https://www.gpo.gov/. Regulated medical waste may be packaged in accordance with 49 CFR 173.134, 49 CFR 173.196, 49 CFR 173.197, or 49 CFR 173.199. A plastic film bag shall be used as inner packaging, unless it is not required per the regulated medical waste type when used in conjunction with one of the package designs pursuant to Subparag ax ph (2) of this Paragrgph. The plastic film bag used as inner packaging shall be sealed to prevent leaks. A rigid box, drum, or vessel constructed to prevent leakage shall be used as outer packaging. Outer package labeling shall be written in En lg ish. Outer packaging shall contain the universal biohazard symbol as described in 29 CFR 1910.1030(g). Each package shall be handled to prevent leaks, damage, and changes to the package, labeling, and markings. Labels and markings on the outside of each package shall contain the following information: state that the content is an "infectious substance" or a "biohazard;" (BB,) the generator name, physical address, and phone number; the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; (DD,) the treatment facility name, physical address, and phone number; and the date of shipment from the generatingfacility_ The requirement in Part E of this Subparagraph does not apply to customer -loaded trailers exce t that all acka es accessible from the cargo area door(s) shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator pri to transport from the generatingfacility. The remaining medical waste packages shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator when they are removed from the customer loaded trailer unless the medical waste packages are treated at that site within 24 hours. ( Generator requirements: The generatingfacility acility shall package medical waste by treatment method type in accordance with Rule .1202(i of this Section. The generatingfcility shall maintain a record of each shipment of regulated medical waste transported off -site for a period of three years that includes the following information: the number of packages; the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; LQ the treatment facility name, physical address, and phone number; and the date of shipment from the generatingfacility. acility. The requirements of this Subparagraph do not apply to generating facilities that generate less than 50 pounds of regulated medical waste per month. (c) Transporter requirements: The transporter shall not accept regulated medical waste that does not meet the requirements of Para rg aph (a) of this Rule. The universal biohazard symbol shall be displayed on the outside of a transport vehicle on both sides and rear of the vehicle's cargo area, shall be legible, and shall not be obstructed from view. 0 Transport vehicles shall only transport medical waste for treatment, other solid wastes, and supplies related to the handling of solid wastes. If a medical waste package leaks or spills, all of the contents, except for hazardous waste, within the same storage area of the transport vehicle as the leaking or spilled package shall be treated at a medical waste treatment facility. If the solid waste that leaked or spilled is a hazardous waste, all of the solid waste within the same storage area of the transport vehicle as the leaking or spilled package shall be brought to a hazardous waste treatment facility. Transport vehicles shall be free of medical waste and disinfected with a mycobacteriocidal disinfectant before being reused if any packages spilled or leaked while in the vehicle. The vehicle operator shall keep a contingency plan as described in Rule .1204(b)(4)(H) of this Section in the transport vehicle and shall be trained to implement the contingency plan prior to transporting medical waste. The transporter shall be in compliance with Rule .1202(o), (p), and (q)) of this Section. (d) Transfer or storage operations requirements: W The responsible party for transfer or storage operations occurring at a treatment facility shall include a description of the transfer or storage operations in the facility operations plan submitted to the Division in accordance with Rule .1204(b)(4) of this Section. Q The responsible party for transfer or storage operations occurring at a location other than a treatment facility shall submit a record to the Division within 14 calendar days of commencing transfer or storage operations, and once every two years thereafter, while the responsible party is managing the transfer or storage operations. The record shall include the following information: the name, mailing address, physical address, office and mobile phone numbers, and email address for the responsible party(s) and operator(s); 0 county GIS property data for the location where transfer or storage operations occur; LQ procedures for how the medical waste will be received, handled, stored, or transferred; the frequency that transfer or storage operations occur; the amount of medical waste that is expected to be on site at the transfer or storage operations; and additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the transfer or storage operations if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. The responsible party shall submit an updated record to the Division within 14 calendar days if any of the information required to be submitted by this Subparagraph changes. If the transfer or storage operations cease, the responsible party shall submit to the Division a record within 14 calendar days. The record shall include the following information: a signed statement by the responsible pgM(s) that transfer or storage operations have ceased and all medical waste has been removed; digital pictures of the area that was utilized for transfer or storage operations taken after operations have ceased and all medical waste has been removed; and LQ additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the transfer or storage operations if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. Within 90 days of the readopted effective date of this Rule, existing transfer or storage operations shall comply with Subparagraph (2) of this Para rg_Vh. The transfer or storage operations shall comply with Rule .1202(o),p,), and (o) of this Section. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff. April 1, 1993-1993; Readopted Eff.' November 1, 2019. A-17 15A NCAC 13B .1204 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE (a) A per -son w-ho ships fegulmed fnedieal waste ffam the gener-a4ing f4eility for- off site tfeatment shall meet the folio —ef4s: (4) Philadelphia,un-�—ef n-of-m—al coffditieffs of usage affd handling. Each bag shall be eonstructed of material of sufficiefft siffgle thiekness strength to pass the 165 gram dropped dart impact resistance test as prescribed by Standard D 1709 91 of the Ameriean Society for Testing and Materials, w-hieh is incorporated by referenee ineluding subsequent amendments and editions, and eertified by the bag manufaeturer, A copy is available for inspection at the Department of Efwir-onment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Solid Waste Management, 401 Oberhn Road, Raleigh, North Carolina. Copies may be requested by mail at American Society for Testing and Materials, 1916 Raee Stfeet, P.A. 19103 or- by ealling (215) 299 5400 fer a east of twelve dellafs ($12.00) plus one dellaf and fif4y eeffts ($1.50) fef shipping and handling «less prepaid, then♦e.-, thee dollars is twelve dollrs ($1 7 00) (-3) Eaeh paekage ef fegulated fnedieal waste shall be labeled with a wa4er- fesistant univefsal biehazard • (4) Eaeh paekage ef fegulated fnedieal waste shall be maf4Eed on the outer- suffaee with the following infor-mmiew CAI >address, and ; (B) the transporter's name, address, and telephone numbefl; (G) storage faeility name, address, and telephone number-, when applicableq lnJ treatment name, address and hone e iEI date of shipment; and (b) Reeofds of feg-ala4ed medieal waste shall be maintained for- eaeh shipmefft and shall inelude the information listed in this Paragraph, This infeffna4ea shall be maintained a4 the gener-a4ing f4eility fer- ne less than three yeafs, Crl ; (71 da4e shipped eff site; Cal ,l e; 7 C(21 e e f tr- ,free =, (4) name e f storage er tre.,tme«t F e;l;t.. The requirements of this Paragraph shall net apply to per -sons who generate less than 50 pounds of regulated medieal 'h-. (c) A plan to enstwe proper- managemen4 of regulated medical waste shall be prepared and maintained at the generating faeility. (a) General requirements for treated regulated medical waste: Treated regulated medical waste shall be covered to prevent exposure to the environment and inclement weather. Treated regulated medical waste may be placed uncovered in or under a weather resistant structure while dewatering or while in the process of being covered. Treated regulated medical waste shall be stored no longer than 14 calendar days after treatment unless the facility's operations plan states that the storage unit is a necessarypart of the operation of the treatment process and is enclosed, sealed, and watertight. Treated regulated medical waste storage and transport containers, compactors, trailers, and cargo bays shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. Treated regulated medical waste shall not be transported off site uncovered. b The exterior of treated regulated medical waste storage and transport containers, compactors, trailers, and cargo bays shall be free of solid waste and solid waste residue. Treated regulated medical waste shall not become putrescent. Putrescent treated regulated medical waste shall be disposed of within three calendar days. Treated regulated medical waste shall not become a nuisance. Treated regulated medical waste shall be noninfectious. ( General requirements for treatment facilities: The treatment facility shall be compliant with Rule .1202(0), (p), and (9) of this Section. The treatment facility shall issue a written record notifying the generatingfacility if it becomes aware of a package of medical waste received that is not in compliance with Rule .1202(i) of this Section for the treatment method utilized. A coon of the record shall be maintained at the treatment facility_. The treatment facility shall maintain a record of each shipment of regulated medical waste received for treatment for a period of three years to include the following information: the number of packages; the generator name, physical address, and phone number; the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; the date each package was picked up from the generator; the date each package was received at the treatment facility; the weight of each package in pounds; and (GG) the date each package was treated. The treatment facility shall submit a facility operations plan to the Division with the permit application required in accordance with the rules of this Subchapter that shall include the following information: W the name, mailing address, physical address, office and mobile phone numbers, and email address for the responsible paAAs), owner(s), and operator(s); "' the physical address and the county GIS property data for the facility location; types and estimated amounts of medical waste to be accepted at and shipped out from the facility a description of the treatment process or processes; procedures for how the medical waste will be received, handled, stored, transferred, or treated at the facility; procedures for sampling or testing required by the rules of this Section; procedures that the facility shall use to prevent medical waste from becoming a nuisance or putrescent, and procedures for abatement if medical waste becomes a nuisance or putrescent; contingency plan identifying risks and describing how the facility will respond to incidents or emergencies, and how regulated medical waste will be handled or redirected when facilities or transport vehicles are unavailable due to maintenance, adverse weather, or other emergencies; and additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the facility operations if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Section. A copy of the operations plan shall be kept at the facility and shall be available for review by the Division during facility inspections or upon request by the Division. If the information required by this Paragraph changes, the facility shall submit a revised facility operations plan to the Division and update the copies of the plan kept by the facility. The treatment facility shall maintain a record of the disposal facility's contact information including the facility name, permit number, physical location and mailing address, and contact name and phone number. The treatment facility shall maintain a record of the dates and tonnages of treated regulated medical waste sent for disposal. The treatment facility shall maintain operating records and monitoring, testing, and maintenance records required in accordance with the rules of this Section for a period of three years. The facility shall submit an annual report to the Division in accordance with G.S. 130A-309.09D(b). (c) Steam sterilization treatment requirements: Steam under pressure shall be provided to maintain a temperature of not less than 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes at 15 pounds per square inch of gauge pressure duringeach cycle. The steam sterilization unit shall have a device that records the start and end time of each cycle. The steam sterilization unit shall have a device that records the pressure and a device that records the temperature throughout each cycle. Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subparag ax ph (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 104 placed within the waste load. A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the test date, the start and end times, and the test result. (d) Incineration treatment requirements: The Division shall not issue a solid waste management permit in accordance with the rules of this Subchapter to the treatment facility unless the Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has issued a permit for operation of the incinerator. The treatment facility shall maintain the DAQ permit for the operation of the incinerator. Regulated medical waste shall be subjected to a burn temperature in the primary chamber of not less than 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. The incinerator shall have a monitoring device that records the primary chamber temperature. A record of the continuous monitoringoprimary chamber temperature while in use shall be maintained. Interlocks or other process control devices shall be provided to prevent the introduction of regulated medical waste into the primary chamber until the secondary chamber achieves operating temperature as defined in the permit for incinerator operation issued by DAQ Procedures for obtaining uniform representative composite ash samples shall be submitted to the Division for approval in the facility operations plan in accordance with Rule .1204(b)(4) of this Section. Ash sampling procedures shall be approved if the procedures are compliant with the requirements of this Subchapter, are protective of human health and the environment, and if the samples collected using the procedures are representative of the incinerator ash shipped from the facility for disposal. The ash samples shall be collected from the dewatered ash collection container or containers. For the first three months of incinerator operation, the ash sampling procedures required by Subpara rgraph (6) of this Paragraph shall include the collection of a representative ash sample of one kilogram (2.2 pounds): W once for every eight hours of operation for an incinerator that is operated on a continuous schedule; 0 once for every 24 hours of operation for an incinerator that is operated on an intermittent schedule; or LQ once for every batch for an incinerator that is batch -loaded. The ash samples shall be composited in a closed container weekly and shall be mixed and reduced to a uniform ash sample. The weekly ash samples shall be composited into a monthly ash sample, and the monthly ash sample shall be analyzed. For the remainder of the first year of incinerator operation, a representative ash sample shall be collected once per month using the procedures described in the facility operations plan. The monthly ash samples shall be composited and reduced to a uniform quarterly ash sample, and the quarterly ash samples shall be analyzed. After the first year of incinerator operation, representative composite ash samples shall be collected usin2 the procedures described in the facility operations plan twice per calendar year, with no less than four mo between sample collection, and the samples shall be analyzed. 11 Ash samples required to be analyzed in accordance with Subpara rag phs (8) through (10) of this Paragraph shall be analyzed in accordance with 40 CFR 261.24 for the eight metals listed in Table 1 (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver). 40 CFR 261 is incorporated by reference includingsubsequent ubsequent amendments and editions; and can be accessed at no cost at https://www.gpo.gov/. 12 A record of the testing and analysis results shall be submitted to the Division for the first year of incinerator operation, and thereafter shall be maintained at the facility and available for inspection by the Division, and shall be submitted upon request from the Division, and shall include: the composite ash sample date and time; the ash sample date and time; LQ the ash sample identification number; the ash sample analysis results; and the testing laboratory name and contact information and certification number. 13 The Division may require the treatment facility to collect additional composite ash samples or analyze the samples for the full contaminant list in accordance with 40 CFR 261.24 Table 1 if the results of the analysis required in Subparagraphs (8,) through (11) of this Paragraph indicate an exceedance of the regulatory level provided in 40 CFR 261.24 Table 1; or during a permitting action, a facility inspection, or when a complaint is received if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. The requirements of this Paragraph shall not prevent a municipal solid waste landfill that is accepting incinerator ash from a treatment facility from requiring that additional ash samples be taken and analyzed to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter before the ash is accepted for disposal. (e) Chemical treatment requirements: W Microbiological waste shall be treated with 10 percent chlorine solution for no less than one hour. Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subparagraph (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106. A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the test date, the start and end times, and the test results. (fl Microwave treatment requirements: Microwave energy of appropriate output frequency shall be provided at a temperature of not less than 203 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius) for no less than 30 minutes each cycle. The microwave treatment system shall be provided with a monitoring device that records time and temperature of each cycle. A record of the monitoring of the time and temperature of each cycle shall be maintained. Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subparagraph (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106 and in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's instructions. A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the test date, the start and end times, and the test result. (g) Ozonation treatment requirements: Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subparagraph (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106 and in accordance with the equipment manufacturer's instructions. Once every six months samples collected under conditions of full loading shall be submitted to an independent laboratory to confirm compliance with Subparagraph (a)(9) of this Rule. A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the test date, the ozonation time, the incubation time, and the test result. (h) Alternative treatment methods. T (1) A treatment facility owner or operator may request to use a method of, or procedures for, regulated medical waste treatment not listed or described in this Rule by submitting a request to the Division for approval. The request shall include documentation that describes the alternative treatment method, explains the procedures and provides analysis results to demonstrate that the treatment method will render the regulated medical waste noninfectious, and describes how the treatment method meets the requirements of the rules of this Section. A request for an alternate method of chemical treatment shall also describe the chemical used to treat the specific microbiological agent(s) of concern for the regulated medical waste type, and shall consider factors such as temperature, contact time, pH, concentration, and the presence and state of dispersion, penetrability, and reactivity of organic material at the site of application. The Division may approve the alternative treatment method by issuing the permit or an approval letter if the alternative treatment method renders the regulated medical waste noninfectious, and the alternative treatment method is compliant with the rules of this Section and protective of human health and the environment. History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff. October 1, 1992; December 1, 1991; March 1, 1991. 1991; Readopted Eff.' November 1, 2019. A-20 15A NCAC 13B .1205 REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORTERS OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 15A NCAC 13B .1206 REQUIREMENTS FOR STORAGE OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 15A NCAC 13B .1207 OPERATIONAL REQ/REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE TREATMENT FACILITIES History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff.' April 1, 1993; January 4, 1993. 1993; Repealed Eff.' November 1, 2019. A-21 APPENDIX 4 Hearing Transcript and Attendance Sheet A-22 PUBLIC HEARING TRANSCRIPT Hearing Officer: EMC Commissioner Steve Keen DEQ Staff: Jessica Montie and John Patrone, DWM Attendees: Don Nuss, Stericycle Hearing Officer Presentation: I am calling this public hearing to order. My name is Steve Keen and I am a member of the Environmental Management Commission. I am the presiding officer for this evening's hearing. This public hearing is being held by the Environmental Management Commission to solicit written and oral comments on rules relating to Medical Waste Management. The Environmental Management Commission is granted authority in the North Carolina General Statutes to adopt certain rules following the procedures specified in General Statute 150B. Accordingly, a public notice containing the proposed rules under consideration was published in the June 17, 2019 edition of the North Carolina Register and on the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) website, and was sent by e-mail to interested parties including, but not limited to, advocacy groups, local government contacts, and industry contacts. The audio of this hearing is being recorded for the record. The purpose of this hearing is to receive public comments on 15A NCAC 13B Rules .1201 - .1207 for Medical Waste Management, which collectively establish standards for the packaging, transportation, storage, treatment, and disposal of medical waste. Amendments to these rules are being considered by the Environmental Management Commission as part of the readoption process pursuant to G.S. 15013-21.3A, which requires that existing rules be reviewed every 10 years. As the hearing officer, it is my responsibility to listen to your comments and assist in the preparation of the hearing report, which summarizes the information presented tonight, all comments received tonight and throughout the comment period, and provides recommendations to the Commission on the proposed rule -making. The Commission will make the decision on the final action, which may be to accept the hearing officer's recommendations, modify them, or take a different course of action. As it now stands, the Commission should consider the adoption of the proposed rules at their September 12, 2019 meeting in Raleigh. The Commission is interested in your comments on these rules to help them decide what the final rule language should be for their consideration. The Commission is not only seeking your comments on the proposed rule language, but also on the Regulatory Impact Analysis document. Information on these rules has been available on the DEQ website since June 17, 2019, and copies of these documents can be found at the table in the entryway. The information includes proposed wording of the rules, an explanation of the rules, information on the public comment period and contact information for submitting written comments, and information on the possible impacts from the rules as provided in the Regulatory Impact Analysis. A-23 If anyone has written comments they would like to provide, including any speakers who have written copies of their comments, please provide them to the staff before leaving today. Written comments prepared after the hearing may be submitted by e-mail or US Mail to Jessica Montie at the address provided in the information available at the back of the room today or on the DEQ website. All comments received by August 16, 2019 will be included in the public comment record. Equal weight is given to both written and oral comments. I appreciate everyone's attendance and would like to take this time to recognize any public officials in attendance tonight. (None present) Now I would like to invite any additional public or elected officials to stand and introduce themselves. (None present) I would also like to recognize members of the DEQ staff that are here. Will you please raise your hands? (Ms. Montie and Mr. Patrone are recognized) At this time, I will provide an overview of how the meeting will be conducted: 1. 1 will call on speakers for each rule set in the order they signed up to speak. If you wish to speak and have not yet signed up, you still have the opportunity to do so at the table in the entryway. 2. When your name is called, please come to the microphone, and clearly state your name and any group you may be representing or affiliated with. 3. Each speaker will be limited to 3 - 5 minutes so that everyone who wishes to speak has an opportunity to do so. Staff will keep track of the time and raise a sign to indicate when you have 1 minute remaining and when you have 30 seconds remaining to finish your comments. 4. All public comments will be directed to me as the hearing officer. 5. 1 ask that everyone respect the right of others to speak without interruption. 6. Please keep your comments concise and limit them to the proposed rulemaking. 7. At the end of the meeting, if time remains, we will ask if anyone who did not sign up would now like the chance to speak. At this time, Jessica Montie with the Division of Waste Management will give a brief presentation on the Medical Waste Management rules that are proposed for readoption, and after the presentation we will ask for comments. (slide presentation similar to presentation given at the May 2019 EMC meeting regarding these rules was provided) A-24 I will now call on speakers that signed up to give comments. (no attendees signed up to provide comments) Is there anyone else who did not sign up to speak but would now like to provide a comment on the rules? Mr. Don Nuss representing Stericycle provided comments in support of the rules as published, and thanked staff for their efforts in working with the stakeholders to draft the rule language. I would like to thank everyone for attending tonight's hearing. Your input is greatly appreciated. If there are no more comments, then this hearing is closed. The public comment period will remain open until August 16, 2019. Written comments may be submitted to Jessica Montie at the email address or mailing address provided in the information available at the back of the room. ATTENDANCE SHEET - JULY 9, 2019 RALEIGH PUBLIC HEARING FOR PROPOSED RULES A-25 15A NCAC 13B .1200 MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT If you do not wish to speak, you may submit written comments to Lsica.montie[dncdenr.gov by August 16, 2019. PRINT NAME AFFILIATION E-MAIL PLEASE U WOULD LIKE TO BE (Resident, Elected Official, Other) if you wish to receive u dates CALLED UP TO SPEAK 1 Jss 5 �tt- < c. tx., CLASS :S 4-e.,pt c 2 3 4 .C%S — V� 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 A-26 APPENDIX 5 Comment Letters Received A-27 KILPATRICK TOWNSEND ATTORNEYS AT LAW June 27, 2016 Via Electronic and First Class Mail Michael E. Scott NCDEQ, Director of Division of Waste Management 1601 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1601 KILPATRICK TOWNSEND & STOCKTON LLP www.ki I patricktownsend.com Suite 1400 4208 Six Forks Rd. Raleigh NC 27609 t 919 420 1700 f 919 420 1800 Alan H. McConnell direct dial 919 420 1798 direct fax 919 510 6103 AMcConnell@KilpatrickTownsend.com Re: Stericycle, Inc. —Information Related to Proposed Petition for Rulemaking Dear Michael: Thank you for meeting with me on March 7, 2016 regarding Stericycle, Inc.'s ("Stericycle") interest in amending certain elements of the North Carolina transport and storage requirements for medical waste. As you are aware, Stericycle operates regulated medical waste treatment and transfer facilities in Haw River and Concord, North Carolina pursuant to Solid Waste Permit No. 01-02-I and Solid Waste Permit No. 1305TP-TP, respectively. As we discussed on March 7, the purpose of this letter to provide you with additional information regarding Stericycle's proposed rule changes. To support these proposed changes, I have provided below: (i) the proposed amendments; (ii) information supporting the proposed amendments; and (iii) a description of the potential effects of the proposed amendments. Proposed Amendments Pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 130A-309.26, the Environmental Management Commission has the authority to promulgate the proposed revised rules. 13505498V.5 ATLANTA AUGUSTA CHARLOTTE DALLAS DENVER LOS ANGELES NEW YORK RALEIGH SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO SEATTLE SHANGHAI SILICON VALLEY STOCKHOLM TOKYO WALNUT CREEK WASHINGTON WINSTON-SALEM A-28 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 2 The proposed amendments to 15A NCAC 13B §§ .1205(7), (8) are as follow: CHAPTER 13. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SUBCHAPTER 13B. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTION .1200. MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT .1205 REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORTERS OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE A person who transports Regulated medical waste that has not been treated as the generating facility shall meet the following requirements: (7) Except as allowed by subsection (8) of this rule, Regulated medical waste shall be delivered in a non -putrescent state to a permitted storage or treatment facility within seven fourteen calendar days of the date of shipment from the generator. (8) Refrigeration at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit shall be maintained for Regulated medical waste that will not be delivered for treatment within sever fourteen calendar days. The proposed amendment to 15A NCAC 13B § .1206(4) is as follows: CHAPTER 13. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SUBCHAPTER 13B. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTION .1200. MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT .1206 REQUIREMENTS FOR STORAGE OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE A person who stores Regulated medical waste that has not been treated at the generating facility shall meet the following requirements: 13505498V.5 A-29 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 3 (4) Regulated medical waste shall be stored in a non -putrescent state net -lie -stored and no longer than seven fourteen calendar days from the date of shipment from the generator unless the Regulated Mmedical Wwaste is refrigerated at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Provided that Regulated medical waste is refrigerated at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit in a non -putrescent state, such waste shall be stored no longer than sixty calendar days from the date of shipment from the generator. The proposed amendment to 15A NCAC 13B § .1207(1) is as follows: CHAPTER 13. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SUBCHAPTER 13B. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTION .1200. MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT .1207 OPERATIONAL REQ/REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE TREATMENT FACILITIES A person who treats Regulated medical waste shall meet the following requirements for each type of treatment in addition to the requirements in Rule .1203 of this Section. (1) General requirements: (b) Regulated medical waste shall be store' prior- to treatment for treated or placed into refrigerated storajZe consistent with 15A NCAC §13B .1206(4) no more than seven calendar days after receipt. Basis for Proposed Amendments Currently, the North Carolina regulations addressing the storage of Regulated medical waste provide that such waste: (i) shall be delivered to a permitted storage or treatment facility I3505498V.5 A-30 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 4 within seven calendar days of the date of shipment from the generator unless the Regulated medical waste is refrigerated at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit; (ii) shall not be stored longer than seven calendar days from the date of shipment from the generator unless the Regulated medical waste is refrigerated at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit; and (iii) shall be stored prior to treatment for no more than seven calendar days after receipt unless the Regulated medical waste is refrigerated at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Limiting storage of Regulated medical waste to seven days without refrigeration provides no health or environmental benefit and extending the storage time from seven to fourteen days will not harm public health or the environment. In our meeting on March 7, the Division of Waste Management specifically asked what happens to unrefrigerated Regulated medical waste between seven and fourteen days. Based on Stericycle's experience in other states, the most correct answer is "nothing." In almost every case, there is no difference in the characteristics of Regulated medical waste that is not refrigerated during the period of seven to fourteen days when compared to refrigerated. Importantly, unlike in other states, the North Carolina regulations prohibit the transport or storage of Regulated medical waste in a putrescent state. These protections ensure that Stericycle does not at any time transport or store Regulated medical waste that is in a putrescent state. Stericycle or its competitors operate regulated medical waste incinerators in the following states: North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, and Utah. The storage requirements for each of these states and South Carolina are summarized below. State Storage Requirements Cite Florida 30-day limit for storage of biomedical waste at the FLA. ADMIN. generating facility and in a place other than the generating CODE § 64E- facilit . 16.004(a) Maryland Except under the supervision of the Department during an CODE OF MD. emergency, a special medical waste hauler may not store REDS. § special medical waste except in an approved facility. 26.13.13.01(E); Storage in a special medical waste vehicle does not include Permit periods of stoppage. Stoppage is a period of time not to conditions exceed 72 hours during which a special medical waste vehicle is at rest. The cumulative period of stoppage may not exceed 5 days for a particular shipment of special medical waste within the State. Any stoppage in excess of 12 hours shall be at an authorized facility or other suitable site. Pursuant to a permit condition, there is a 10-day 13505448V.5 A-31 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 5 storage limit for non -refrigerated special medical waste from the date of receipt at the treatment facility. South Infectious waste must be maintained in a non -putrescent S.C. Code Ann. Carolina state, and storage of infectious waste shall not exceed § 61-105(K)(5) twenty-eight (28) days without refrigeration or sixty (60) days if maintained at or below 42 degrees Fahrenheit. Ohio 14-day time limit to process regulated medical waste as OHIO ADMIN. long as it is not putrescent. If waste becomes putrescent, CODE § 3745- then the waste must be immediately refrigerated or frozen 27-35 and shall be treated and disposed of as soon as possible regardless of any storage time frame. Illinois Unless otherwise permitted, 3-day time limit for storage at 35 IL. ADMIN. storage or transfer operation with no refrigeration. 30-day CODE § time limit regardless of temperature. 1422.111 Minnesota No time restrictions. Infectious waste must not be allowed MINN. ADMIN. to become putrescent during transportation. A person who CODE §§ stores, incinerates, or decontaminates infectious or 7035.9120.2, pathological waste, other than at the facility where the 7035.9120.4 waste was generated, or a person who incinerates MINN. GEN. infectious or pathological waste on site, must submit a STAT. § copy of a management plan to the commissioner of the 116.79(4) Pollution Control Agency. Kansas No time restrictions. All medical services waste shall be KAN. ADMIN. stored in a manner and in a container that will prevent the CODE 28-29-27 transmission of disease or the causing of injury. Medical services wastes shall be collected at least daily from the point of origin for transport to a storage or disposal area or a processing facility. All medical services wastes transported off -site shall be transported in a manner that will prevent the spread of disease or the causing of injury to persons. Utah 7-day time limit without refrigeration and no longer than UTAH ADMIN. 60 days. CODE § 315- 316-3(9), (10 Other states in the Southeast generally provide for periods longer than seven (7) days for storage of Regulated medical waste. See, e.g,, Fla. Admin. Code § 64E-16.004(a) (providing 30-day limit for storage of biomedical waste at the generating facility and in a place other than the generating facility); Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. § 391-3-4-.15(4) (containment of biomedical waste shall be in manner that minimizes exposure to the public); but see 9 Va. 13505498V.5 A-32 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 6 Admin. Code §§ 10-120-360, 20-120-430 (providing that Regulated medical waste stored for more than seven days must be refrigerated, and no Regulated medical waste shall be stored for more than fifteen days at the site of generation). Thus, other states in which medical waste incinerators are located generally provide for periods longer than seven days for storage of regulated medical waste. With respect to the transporter requirements set forth in 15A NCAC § 13B .1205, transporters often use consolidation facilities. However, the current regulation requires shipment or refrigeration within seven days of shipment from the generator and does not provide for additional time if consolidation facilities are used. Delivery or refrigeration of Regulated medical waste within seven days of shipment from the generator without consolidation is impracticable and unworkable. For example, Stericycle has determined that in a typical year this requires an additional sixty-nine (69) refrigerated trailers resulting in significant, unnecessary costs to Stericycle. Limiting storage of Regulated medical waste to seven days without refrigeration has significant economic impacts on the regulated community with no corresponding benefits to public health or the environment. Stericycle estimates that such a restriction results in economic losses of at least $675,000 per year to Stericycle. This amount is based upon the costs associated with leasing additional refrigerated trailers and/or diverting waste to other facilities to avoid the burdensome restrictions in North Carolina. Further, limiting the use of diesel engines to provide power to refrigerated trailers will result in a decrease in criteria pollutant emissions and benefit public health and the environment. There have been no spills of regulated medical waste at Stericycle's Haw River facility in the last five years. In addition, Stericycle has received no odor complaints related to the Haw River facility in the last five years. Effect of the Proposed Rule The effect of these proposed amendments on existing rules would be to extend the time for delivery of unrefrigerated Regulated medical waste by transporters to a permitted storage or treatment facility from seven to fourteen calendar days provided that such waste is in a non - putrescent state. The proposed amendments would allow Regulated medical waste to remain unrefrigerated in a non -putrescent state for a maximum of 21 days after shipment from the generator (14 days during shipment plus 7 days after receipt at the treatment facility). In addition, the proposed amendments clarify that there is a 60-day time limit on the refrigerated storage of Regulated medical waste at an ambient temperature between 35 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit provided that it remains in a non -putrescent state. 13505498 V.5 A-33 Michael E. Scott June 27, 2016 Page 7 Effect of the Proposed Rule on Existing Practices The proposed rule changes would have a significant beneficial effect on Regulated medical waste transporters, storage facilities, and treatment facilities. First, the proposed rule changes would allow Regulated medical waste transporters to continue the practice of using consolidation facilities without incurring substantial and unnecessary costs of purchasing additional refrigerated trailers. Second, the proposed rule changes would allow Regulated medical waste transporters, storage facilities, and treatment facilities operational flexibility to store such waste for an additional seven days without refrigeration. The proposed rule changes would also harmonize North Carolina regulations with the majority of Southeastern states. These proposed rule changes would provide operational flexibility while at the same time protecting the public health and environment. We look forward to hearing back from you regarding Stericycle's proposed petition for rulemaking, and thank you for your assistance with this matter. If you need additional information or would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Alan H. McConnell Counsel for Stericycle, Inc. cc: Don Nuss Ellen Lorscheider 13505498V.5 A-34 • Stericycle August 16, 2019 NC DEQ Division of Waste Management Attn: Jessica Montie 1646 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1646 Richmond, VA 23218 Submitted via email: lessica.montie@ncdenr.ov Re: Rules 15A NCAC 13B .1201-.1207 Medical Waste Management as proposed for readoption Stericycle, Inc. (Stericycle) is a publicly traded corporation (NASDAQ: SRCL) based in Lake Forest, Illinois. In 2018, we had estimated revenues of approximately $3.513. We operate over 250 medical and hazardous waste facilities providing services for customers throughout the U.S. primarily in the healthcare field. Our services include compliant collection, transportation and treatment of medical waste, pharmaceutical waste and hazardous waste, as well as secure document destruction. In the State of North Carolina, Stericycle operates a medical waste incinerator in Haw River, a medical waste autoclave in Concord, medical waste transfer stations in Selma, Moyock, and Asheville, secure document destruction facilities in Wilmington, Raleigh, Winston- Salem, and Charlotte, as well 10-day hazardous waste transfer facilities in Raleigh and Charlotte. In all there are approximately 360 employees in the state throughout our different divisions servicing North Carolina businesses. Our corporate vision is "Protecting What Matters". Stericycle has been operating these facilities under the current North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Waste Management (the Division) regulations and other applicable Federal regulations (Department of Transportation (DOT), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as examples, since the commencement of these facilities. We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Division and other stakeholders to make the modifications and clarifications needed to improve the medical waste regulations in the State. We appreciate the recommendations the Division has already incorporated into the proposed regulations, however, have the following comments specifically related to customer -loaded trailers under 15A NCAC 1313.1203(a)(9). This section currently states: "The requirement in Part (E) of this Subparagraph does not apply to customer -loaded trailers, except that all packages accessible from the cargo area door(s) shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator prior to transport from the generating facility. The remaining medical waste packages shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator when they are removed from the customer loaded trailer unless the medical waste packages are treated at that site within 24 hours." Part (E) in the above proposed text refers to the date of shipment from the generating facility. During the stakeholder discussions we expressed to the Division that the regulations as related to customer -loaded trailers were problematic for transporters and treatment facilities to comply with because they do not fully offload all waste to observe it before transporting. This section tried to take this request into consideration however it does not contemplate when waste may be offloaded temporarily to be transferred to another treatment facility. For example, a customer -loaded trailer may be loaded with medical waste that needs to be sent for incineration such as pathological waste, but also be loaded with sharps waste that can be autoclaved. Such a trailer may first arrive at an autoclave facility where the sharps waste is removed for treatment, but the pathological waste would need to be transferred to an incineration facility. This takes additional time during transport and treatment and the 24-hour requirement would be impractical to comply with. A-35 • Stericycle Part (E) of this subpart also requires that the date of shipment from the generator be physically written on the container. Many transporters and treatment facilities now utilize technology (such as barcoded containers or labels) to track containers through the shipment process. For example, Stericycle utilizes a proprietary Biotrack system where the generator information, container content, and the shipping document is fully imbedded in the barcode on the container. This enables us to track the container through each of our systems to final treatment. This also allows us to have the generator ship date electronically available at any point to an inspector. Based on these two factors we would request the following be taken into consideration: • Allow for electronic tracking to be able to provide adequate compliance with the date tracking requirement. This information is more impactful and reliable than if it were handwritten as the date it was shipped. For those facilities where an electronic option is not available, that the time be extended to 72 hours to provide for adequate time to transfer and treat waste. After 72 hours the waste would have to be marked properly with the date of shipment. Please see the recommended modification to the language for the section below with changes in bold: "The requirement in Part (E) of this Subparagraph does not apply to customer -loaded trailers, except that all packages accessible from the cargo area door(s) shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator prior to transport from the generating facility. Where available the medical waste transfer or storage operation can provide electronic records to document the date of shipment of undated containers. If electronic records are not available, the remaining medical waste packages shall be marked with the date of shipment from the generator when they are removed from the customer loaded trailer unless the medical waste packages are treated at that site within 24 hours, or are transferred to be treated at another permitted treatment facility within 72 hours." We appreciate the opportunity to submit comments on this important regulation. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact meat 312-720-6213 or via email csimaga@stericycle.com. Sincerely, Cara Simaga, Director of Government Affairs Stericycle, Inc. CC: Selin Hoboy, Vice President of Government Affairs, Stericycle, Inc. A-36 From: Simaaa, Cara To: Montie, Jessica Cc: Hoboy, Selin Subject: [External] Medical Waste Rule Comments from Stericycle Date: Friday, August 16, 2019 6:21:08 PM Attachments: imaoe003.Dna Stericycle comments to NC DEQ on draft medical waste rules FINAL 8.16.pdf I External email. Don c ic< links or open attachments unless you verify. Send all suspicious email as an Uttar t0 rep V Hello Jessica, Attached are Stericycle's comments to the draft medical waste rules. Thank you for considering them, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend! Sincerely, Cara Simaga, CHMM Director, Regulatory Affairs M: +1 312-720-6213 1 stericycle.com For assistance with regulatory questions, please email ask -regulator stericycle.com For questions on the pharmaceutical waste rule, please email EPANewRules&stericycle.com 4 .• Stericycle CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information in this Email is confidential and may be privileged. This Email is intended solely for the named recipient or recipients. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution of this Email is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please inform us by replying with the subject line marked "Wrong Address" and then deleting this Email and any attachments. Stericycle, Inc. uses regularly updated anti -virus software in an attempt to reduce the possibility of transmitting computer viruses. We do not guarantee, however, that any attachments to this Email are virus - free. Nota de confidencialidad: La informacion que presenta este correo es confdencial, y puede ser de use privilegiado. Este correo intenta ser enviado solo al destinatario, o a los destinatarios. Si usted no es el destinatario, no podra usar, desglosar, copiar, o distribuir la informacion de este correo ya que esta prohibido. Si usted no es el correcto destinatario, por favor informenos reenviandonos el mismo con el asunto " Direccion Incorrecta', y luego borre el correo y los adjuntos. Stericycle, Inc. usa regularmente actualizaciones de software anti- virus para asi reducir posibles virus. De todas maneras, no garantizamos que los adjuntos esten libres de virus. A-37 APPENDIX 6 Rule Text for Adoption A-38 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 15A NCAC 13B .1201 is readopted with changes as published in 33:24 NCR 2365 as follows: SECTION .1200 - MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT 15A NCAC 13B .1201 DEFINITIONS For the purpose of the this Section, the following definitions apply: (1) 'Blood and body fluids" means liquid blood, serum, plasma, other blood products, emulsified human tissue, spinal fluids, and pleural and peritoneal fluids. Blood and body fluids does not include dialysates, feces, or urine if not removed during surgeries and autopsies. Dialysates are not blood ^body fluids under this definition. (2) "Generator" and "Generating facility" means mean any business, integrated medical facility, and volunteer or non-profit healthcare services where medical waste is produced, F:rs.beeaf es ^ waste, including bu� not lifnit^any medical or dental facility, mortuary, funeam laboratory, veterinary hospital hospital, and blood baPAE. bank; but does not include households. (3) "Integrated medical facility" means one or more health service facilities as defined in G.S. 131E-176(9b) that are: (a) located in a single county or two contiguous counties; (b) affiliated with a university medical school or that are under common ownership and control; and (c) serve a single service area. (4) "Medical waste" as means the term defined in G.S. 130A-290(17a). 130A 290(1 (5) "Microbiological waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(26) of this Subchapter. ^��'� an stocks of infectious agen4s, including but not limited to specimens from medical, pathological, pharmaceutical, research, commercial,and in „str;.,l laboratories (6) "Mierewave treatment" means treatment by microwave energy for sufficient time to render waste Boil „ f et s "OFF " �. h r "" site" means-s�.�te�v-� is a�rs>-te . (-8) "On site" Means the same or- geegr-aphieally eentiguatis preperty whieh may be divided by public or- pr-ivae right of way. "Non -hazardous pharmaceutical waste" is a medical waste. It is a medical drug that is expired, unused, contaminated, damaged, or no longer needed or used for its prescribed purpose and that is not a hazardous waste as defined in G.S. f l �" ^=moo==-'°�T130A-290(a)(81 C7) "Nuisance" means odorous outside of the property boundary or transport vehicle; or attracting vermin or disease vectors. "Package" is the total contents of a box, drum, or vessel containing medical waste, including labeling and markings. 1 of 16 A-39 1 (9) "Pathological waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(31) of this Subchapter. human tissues, 2 organs and body parts; and the carcasses and body parts of all animals that were known to have 3 e"esed to pathogens tha4 afe potentially dangereus te hufna-as dufiag researeh, were used in the 4 , or- thm died with a kaoA% -of 5 suspeeted ,disease r.-.,.,smissible to 1...mans 6 10 "Record" means any data required to be kept on file by the operator or responsible party, or 7 submitted to the Division in accordance with the rules of this Section. A record may be a paper copy 8 [in hard copy (paper)] or electronic format that is legible and in En lg ish. 9 tUl "Regulated Medical Waste" means the term defined in Rule .0101(34) of this Subchapter. bloodan 10 body fluids in individual containers in voNmes greater than 20 wA, microbiological waste, an 11 . 12 12 "Responsible party" means the entity that is in possession of and has accepted the regulated medical 13 waste. 14 13 ""Sharps" means the term defined is G.S. 130A-309.26(a)(1). and ineludes needless�wiages with 15 attacked needles, capillary tubes, slides and cover slips and se 1pel blades 16 f U4 "Trace chemotherapy waste" means medical waste containing no more than three percent by weight 17 of a medical drug used for [chem�,�]chemotherapy, but is not a radioactive waste. Trace 18 chemotherapy waste includes gowns, gloves, wipes, and other handling, preparation, administration, 19 cleaning, and decontamination items [aid] used in association with chemotherapy. 20 15 "Transfer or storage operations" is the act of, and process by which, regulated medical waste is 21 removed from a transport vehicle and placed in another transport vehicle or in storage awaiting 22 transport. 23 (M) "Transport vehicle" means a vehicle or other conveyance type used to transport regulated medical 24 waste to and from transfer or storage operations or to and from a treatment facility. 25 (17)(1-2) "Treatment" as means the term defined in G.S. 130A-309.26(a)(2). 26 18 "Treatment facility" means a regulated medical waste treatment facility permitted by the Division 27 in accordance with the rules of this Section. [84 28 19 "Solid waste" means the term defined in G.S. 130A-290(a)(35). 29 30 History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; 31 Eff. October 1, 1990; 32 Amended Eff. April 1, 1993. 1993; 33 Readopted Eff. November 1, 2019. 2of16 A-40 1 15A NCAC 13B .1202 is readopted with changes as published in 33:24 NCR 2365 as follows: 2 3 15A NCAC 13B .1202 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAL WASTE 4 (a) Medical waste is subject to the i all applieable rules in 15A NCAC 4--313 13B, "Solid Waste 5 Management." 6 (b) Sharps and other sharp objects such as syringes with attached needles, capillary tubes, slides and cover slips, 7 lancets, auto injectors, connection needles and sets, exposed ends of dental wires, and objects that can penetrate the 8 skin At the generating facility, sharps shall be placed in a rigid, leak -proof when in an upright position, and puncture- 9 resistant container, andcontainer which is rigid, leak proof when in an upright position and punetwe resista 10 Con4ained sharps shall not be compacted prior to off -site transportation. transportation unless placed in a sealed 11 compactor unit that is hauled off for disposal by the transporter. Aer- leaving the ge er-a4 fig f4eility, the ^ i#ai o,. 12 . 13 (c) Blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes of 20 milliliters Ml or less 14 seeur-ed area r-estfieted to au4her-ized personnel prior- to off site tfanspal4atieft shall be paE- 15 the regulated medical waste packaging requirements as described in Rule .1204 (a)(!) of th 16 suitable for shams. Containers of blood and bodv fluids which are i3ackaeed in aecor-dane 17 this Section ^ on4ai er suitable for sh -ps as red by this Rule shall be stored in a secured area and shall not 18 be compacted prior to off -site transportation. 19 (d) Regulated medical waste shall not be eompaeted. compacted prior to treatment. 20 (e) Only the responsible party or their designated representative shall have access to regulated medical waste. 21 (f) Medical waste shall not become putrescent. Putrescent medical waste shall be disposed of or treated within three 22 calendar days. 23 (g) Medical waste shall not become a nuisance. 24 (h) Medical waste accepted at transfer or storage operations or a treatment facility shall not be subject to the 25 requirements of Rule .1203(a) and (b)(2) of this Section. 26 (i) Medical waste treatment and disposal methods: 27 (11,) Blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes greater than 20 milliliters shall be 28 disposed of by sanitary sewer if the local sewage treatment authority has been notified; or treated 29 by incineration or steam sterilization. 30 Microbiological waste shall be treated by incineration, steam sterilization, ozonation, microwave, 31 or chemical treatment. 32 (3) Non -hazardous pharmaceutical waste shall be treated by incineration [incineration, ..earn.d to the 33vendor-, r,]—or disposed of at a municipal solid waste landfill. The requirements of this 34 Subparagraph shall not prevent non -hazardous pharmaceuticals from being returned to the vendor. 35 (4) Pathological waste shall be treated by incineration or ozonation. 36 (5) Trace chemotherapy waste shall be treated by incineration or ozonation. 3of16 A-41 Noninfectious medical waste and blood and body fluids in individual containers in volumes of 20 2 milliliters[ml] or less may be Ireeyeled, ]disposed of in a municipal solid waste landfill, [landfill er 3 ]or treated by the treatment methods as described in this Paragraph. Blood and body 4 fluids in individual containers in volumes of 20 milliliters or less may also be disposed of in a 5 sanitary sewer. The requirements of this Subparagraph shall not prevent noninfectious medical 6 waste such as textiles, plastic, glass, or metal from being recycled. 7 (i) Medical waste treated at the generatingfacility acility is not subject to the requirements of Paragraphs phs (o), (p), and (q) of 8 this Rule, and Rule .1204(b)(1),b)(3), and (b)(8) of this Section. 9 (k) Crematoriums are not subject to the requirements of this Section. 10 (1) Transport vehicles, transfer or storage operations, and treatment facilities shall: 11 (1) be kept free of leaked, spilled, and unpackaged medical waste; 12 (2) not contain porous floor coverings; 13 (33,) be ventilated; 14 (4) not create a nuisance; and 15 (5) have a method of leak control or spill cleanup, including decontamination. 16 (m) A responsible party shall be present when regulated medical waste is being transferred by means of transfer or 17 storage operations. 18 (n) Regulated medical waste shall be transported and stored in a manner that prevents exposure to the environment 19 and inclement weather. 20 (o) Unrefrigerated regulated medical waste shall be treated within 21 calendar days of shipment from the generator. 21 (p) Refrigeration at an ambient temperature of a maximum of 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.22 degrees Celsius,) shall be 22 maintained for regulated medical waste not treated within 21 calendar days of shipment from the generator. 23 (q) All regulated medical waste shall be treated within 60 calendar days of shipment from the generator. 24 25 History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; 26 Eff. October 1, 1990; 27 Amended Eff. January 4, 1993; March 1, 499j. 1991; 28 Readopted Eff. November 1, 2019. 4of16 A-42 1 15A NCAC 13B .1203 is readopted with changes as published in 33:24 NCR 2365 as follows: 2 3 15A NCAC 13B .1203 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 4 GENERATORS, TRANSPORTERS, AND TRANSFER AND STORAGE 5 OPERATIONS 6 . 7 M blood affd body ftids in individual contaiffers involumes greater than 20 ml incineration o 8 the treatment is sanitary sewage systems, provided sewage authority notified; 9 ineiner-ation, treatment, (2) mier-obiological waste steam sterilization, mier-owave or chemieal- 10 treatment*, 11 (-3) pmholegieal�vastesineiner-mien. 13 Regulmed trea4ed in Pafagr-aph this Rule be in (e) medieal waste aeeer-da-nee with (a) of may fnanaged aeeor-danee 14 with 15A "T�3B .01�-9700 15 . 16 (e) A treats Regulated the f4eilivy integrated faeilit�-� per -son who medical waste at generating or- vMhin an medieal 17 . 18 Generating f4eilities integrated facilities in October 1, 1990 that incinerate Regulated (f) and medical operation on 19 . 20 (a) Regulated medical waste packaging reauirements: 21 (1) All Sections of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) cited in this Paragraph are hereby 22 incorporated by reference, includingsubsequent amendments and editions and can be accessed at 23 no cost at https://www.gpo.gov/. 24 Regulated medical waste may be packaged in accordance with 49 CFR 173.134, 49 CFR 173.196, 25 49 CFR 173.197, or 49 CFR 173.199. 26 (3) A plastic film bag shall be used as inner packaging, unless it is not required per the regulated medical 27 waste type when used in conjunction with one of the package designs pursuant to Subparagraph (2) 28 of this Para rg aph. 29 (4) The plastic film bag used as inner packaging shall be sealed to prevent leaks. 30 (5) A rigid box, drum, or vessel constructed to prevent leakage shall be used as outer packaging. 31 C6) Outer package labeling shall be legible and written in English. 32 C7) Outer packaging shall contain the universal biohazard symbol as described in 29 CFR 1910.1030(g). 33 C8) Each package shall be handled to prevent leaks, damage, and changes to the package, labeling and 34 markings. 35 (9) Labels and markings on the outside of each package shall contain the following information: 36 (A) state that the content is an "infectious substance" or a "biohazard;" 37 (B) the generator name, physical address, and phone number; 5of16 A-43 1 (C) the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; 2 the treatment facility name, physical address, and phone [^�= d' number, unless the 3 label contains a tracking number that corresponds to a record that includes the treatment 4 facility name, physical address, and phone number, and the record is provided to the 5 Division at the time of inspection and upon request; and 6 (E) the date of shipment from the generating [f e facility, unless the label contains a 7 tracking number that corresponds to a record that includes the date of shipment, and the 8 record is provided to the Division at the time of inspection and upon request. 9 [The requirement in Part (E) of this S4paragraph does not apply to customer loaded trailers, except 10 that all pack -ages accessible from the car -go area deer(s) shall be marked with the da e of shipment 11 12 paekages shall be mafked with the date of shipment ffom the generater when they afe removed f+e-m- 13 the etistemer- loaded tFailer-, tialess the medieal waste paekages afe t-r-eated a4 that site within 24 14 l-ieufs.] 15 (b Generator requirements: 16 W The generatingfacility acility shall package medical waste by treatment method tyre in accordance with 17 Rule .12026) of this Section. 18 Q The generatingfacility acility shall maintain a record of each shipment of regulated medical waste 19 transported off -site for a period of three years that includes the following information: 20 (A) the number of packages; 21 (B) the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; 22 LQ the treatment facility name, physical address, and phone number; and 23 (M the date of shipment from the generatingfacility. 24 The requirements of this Subparagraph do not apply to generating facilities that ,generate less than 25 50 pounds of regulated medical waste per month. 26 (c) Transporter reauirements: 27 (1) The transporter shall not accept regulated medical waste that does not meet the requirements of 28 Para rg anh (a) of this Rule. 29 (2) The universal biohazard symbol shall be displayed on the outside of a transport vehicle on both sides 30 and rear of the vehicle's cargo area, shall be legible, and shall not be obstructed from view. 31 Transport vehicles shall only. transport medical waste for treatment, other solid wastes, and supplies 32 related to the handling of solid wastes. If a medical waste package leaks or spills, all of the 33 [eeits ]solid waste, except for hazardous waste, within the same storage area of the transport 34 vehicle as the leaking or spilled package shall be treated at a medical waste treatment facility. If the 35 solid waste that leaked or spilled is a hazardous waste, all of the solid waste within the same storage 36 area of the transport vehicle as the leaking or spilled package shall be brought to a hazardous waste 37 treatment facility. 6of16 A-44 Transport vehicles shall be free of medical waste and disinfected with a mycobacteriocidal 2 disinfectant before being reused if any packages spilled or leaked while in the [vehiele. ]vehicle, 3 and prior to discontinuing use of the transport vehicles to haul medical waste. 4 (5) The vehicle operator shall keep a contingency plan as described in Rule .1204(b)(4)(H) of this 5 Section in the transport vehicle and shall be trained to implement the contingency plan prior to 6 transporting medical waste. 7 L6) The transporter shall be in compliance with Rule .1202(o), (p), and (g) of this Section. 8 (d) Transfer or storage operations requirements: 9 The responsible party for transfer or storage operations occurring at a treatment facility shall include 10 a description of the transfer or storage operations in the facility operations plan submitted to the 11 Division in accordance with Rule .1204(b)(4) of this Section. 12 (2) The responsible party for transfer or storage operations occurring at a location other than a treatment 13 facility shall submit a record to the Division within 14 calendar days of commencing transfer or 14 storage operations, and once every two years thereafter, while the responsible party is managing the 15 transfer or storage operations. The record shall include the following information: 16 the name, mailing address, physical address, office and mobile phone numbers, and email 17 address for the responsible party(s) and operator(s); 18 county GIS property data for the location where transfer or storage operations occur; 19 (C) procedures for how the medical waste will be received, handled, stored, [e ]and 20 transferred; 21 (D) the frequency that transfer or storage operations occur; 22 the amount of medical waste that is expected to be on site at the transfer or storage 23 operations; and 24 additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the transfer or storage 25 operations if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. 26 The responsible party shall submit an updated record to the Division within 14 calendar days if any 27 of the information required to be submitted by this Subparagraph changes. 28 (3) If the transfer or storage operations cease, the responsible party shall submit to the Division a record 29 within 14 calendar days. The record shall include the following information: 30 a signed statement by the responsible party(s) that transfer or storage operations have 31 ceased and all medical waste has been removed; 32 (B) digital pictures of the area that was utilized for transfer or storage operations taken after 33 operations have ceased and all medical waste has been removed; and 34 (C) additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the transfer or storage 35 operations if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. 36 (4) Within 90 days of the readopted effective date of this Rule, existing transfer or storage operations 37 shall comply with Subpara rg aph (2) of this Para rg aph. 7of16 A-45 1 (5) The transfer or storage operations shall comply with Rule .1202(o), (p), and (q) of this Section. 3 History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; 4 Eff. October 1, 1990; 5 Amended Eff. April 1, 1993-1993; 6 Readopted Eff. November 1, 2019. 8of16 A-46 1 15A NCAC 13B .1204 is readopted with changes as published in 33:24 NCR 2365 as follows: 2 3 15A NCAC 13B .1204 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF REGULATED 4 MEDICAL WASTE 5 (a) A perseR �"a ships fegulmed medieal waste ffem the gener-a4ing faeilit-y for- off site tfeatm&4 shall meet the 6 following requifementsi 7 Regulated medical waste shall be pack -aged in a minim -um of one plastic bag placed in a r-igiA 8 fiberboard box, rigid drum, or other rigid container constmeted in a manner that prevents leaka 9 of the contents. The plastie bag shall be impervious to moisture and have a strength sufficient to 10 preclude ripping, tearing or bursting the waste filled bag under normal eonditions of usage and 11 handling. Eaeh bag shall be eensti:ueted of fnmer-ial of suffieient single thiekness strength to pass 12 the 165 gain dropped da-4 impaet r-esistanee test as pr-eser-ibed by Standard P 1709 91 of the 13 CD 14 subsequent amendments and editions, and eei4ified by the bag fnafvafaetufer-. A eopy is available 15 inspeetion at the Departmen4 of Efwironmen4, Health, and Natual Resources, Division of Soli 16 , Raleigh, North Carolina. Copies may be requested by m- 17 at American Society fo-r- T " — I ' I iter-ials, 1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, P.A. 19103 or by 18 calling (215) 299 5400 for a eost of twelve dollars ($12.00) plus one dollar and fifty cents ($1.50) 19 f f shipping and handling , «less prepaid, then the fee is twelve dollars ie l 2 nm 20 (2) 21 allT 22 (4) Each package of regulated medical waste shall be labeled with a water resistant tmiver-sal biohazar- 23 symbol. 24 (4) Each package of regulated medieal waste shall be maFked on the outer stiFface with the following 25 in€ermatief . 26 (A) the s.e of toffs name, address and telephone number; 27 (44) the t.-a spei4er's name, address, and telephone number; 28 stafage f e:l;t.. name, address and telephone number, „ he„ applicable; 29 tFeetmepA f eil;t.. name, address and telephone number; 30 (E) date of shipment; and 31 (F) "DWEC'l'IOUS WASTE" or "MEDICAL T WASTE" 32 (b) Records be for include the information list of regulated medical waste shall maintained each shipment and shall 33 . 34 () amount of waste byf 4nbe.- of p ekages (p eee a ..t\. 35 (2) date shipped off site. 36 ( e eft r ei4e . 37 (4) name e f storage or- t..e"tment facility, 9of16 A-47 1 The this Paragraph to less than 50 2 requirements waste per pA-, of shall not apply per -sons who generate pounds of regulated medic 3 A te be the (e) plan ensufe pr-eper- management of Feg-ala4ed medical waste shall prepared and maintained at genera4ing 4 €aeility. 5 (a) General requirements for treated regulated medical waste: 6 (1) Treated regulated medical waste shall be covered to prevent exposure to the environment and 7 inclement weather. 8 Treated regulated medical waste may be placed uncovered in or under a weather resistant structure 9 while dewatering or while in the process of being covered. 10 Treated regulated medical waste shall be stored no longer than 14 calendar days after treatment 11 unless the facility's operations plan states that the storage unit is a necessM part of the operation of 12 the treatment process and is enclosed, sealed, and watertight. 13 (4) Treated regulated medical waste storage and transport containers, compactors, trailers, and cargo 14 bays shall be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. 15 (5) Treated regulated medical waste shall not be transported off site uncovered. 16 (6) The exterior of treated regulated medical waste storage and transport containers, compactors, 17 trailers, and cargo bays shall be free of solid waste and solid waste residue. 18 C7) Treated regulated medical waste shall not become putrescent. Putrescent treated regulated medical 19 waste shall be disposed of within three calendar days. 20 (8) Treated regulated medical waste shall not become a nuisance. 21 (9) Treated regulated medical waste shall be noninfectious. 22 (b) General requirements for treatment facilities: 23 W The treatment facility shall be compliant with Rule .1202(0), (p), and (q) of this Section. 24 Q The treatment facility shall issue a written record notifying the generatingfacility acility if it becomes 25 aware of a package of medical waste received that is not in compliance with Rule .1202(i) of this 26 Section for the treatment method utilized. A copy of the record shall be maintained at the treatment 27 facility. 28 (3) The treatment facility shall maintain a record of each shipment of regulated medical waste received 29 for treatment for a period of three years to include the following information: 30 W the number of packages; 31 (B) the generator name, physical address, and phone number; 32 LQ the transporter name, physical address, and phone number; 33 (M the date each package was picked up from the generator; 34 (E) the date each package was received at the treatment facility 35 (F) the weight of each package in pounds; and 36 (G) the date each package was treated. 10 of 16 A-48 The treatment facility shall submit a facility operations plan to the Division with the permit 2 application required in accordance with the rules of this Subchapter that shall include the following 3 information: 4 (A) the name, mailing address, physical address, office and mobile phone numbers, and email 5 address for the responsible party(s), owner(s), and operator(s); 6 (B) the physical address and the county GIS property data for the facility location; 7 (C) types and estimated amounts of medical waste to be accepted at and shipped out from the 8 facility; 9 a description of the treatment process or [processes;; ]processes, and treatment unit 10 specifications; 11 (E) procedures for how the medical waste will be received, handled, stored, transferred, or 12 treated at the facility; 13 (F) procedures for sampling or testing required by the rules of this Section; 14 (G) procedures that the facility shall use to prevent medical waste from becoming a nuisance 15 or putrescent, and procedures for abatement if medical waste becomes a nuisance or 16 putrescent; 17 contingency plan identifying risks and describing how the facility or transporter will 18 respond to incidents or emergencies, including a phone number for a facility or transporter 19 representative that is available to respond 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, and how 20 regulated medical waste will be handled or redirected when facilities or transport vehicles 21 are unavailable due to maintenance, adverse weather, or other emergencies; and 22 Cl) additional information that the Division may request pertaining to the facility operations if 23 it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Section. 24 A copy of the operations plan shall be kept at the facility and shall be available for review by the 25 Division duringfacility acili . inspections or upon request by the Division. If the information required by 26 this Paragraph changes, the facility shall submit a revised facility operations plan to the Division 27 and update the copies of the plan kept by the facility. 28 (5) The treatment facility shall maintain a record of the disposal facility's contact information including 29 the facility name, permit number, physical location and mailing address, and contact name and 30 phone number. 31 C6) The treatment facility shall maintain a record of the dates and tonnages of treated regulated medical 32 waste sent for disposal. 33 The treatment facility shall maintain operating records and monitoring, testing, and maintenance 34 records required in accordance with the rules of this Section for a period of three years. 35 (8) The facility shall submit an annual report to the Division in accordance with G.S. 130A-309.09D(b). 36 (c) Steam sterilization treatment requirements: 11 of 16 A-49 W Steam under pressure shall be provided to maintain a temperature of not less than 250 degrees 2 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes at 15 pounds per square inch of gauge pressure duringeycle. 3 (2) The steam sterilization unit shall have a device that records the start and end time of each cycle. 4 (3) The steam sterilization unit shall have a device that records the pressure and a device that records 5 the temperature throughout each cycle. 6 (4) Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subpara rg aph 7 (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of 8 Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 104 placed within 9 the waste load. 10 (5) A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the 11 test date, the start and end times, and the test result. 12 ( Incineration treatment requirements: 13 (1) The Division shall not issue a solid waste management permit in accordance with the rules of this 14 Subchapter to the treatment facility unless the Division of Air Qualit.. (DAQ) has issued a permit 15 for operation of the incinerator. 16 Q The treatment facility shall maintain the DAQ permit for the operation of the incinerator. 17 0 Regulated medical waste shall be subjected to a burn temperature in the primary chamber of not less 18 than 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. 19 (4) The incinerator shall have a monitoring device that records the primary chamber temperature. A 20 record of the continuous monitoring of the primary chamber temperature while in use shall be 21 maintained. 22 (5) Interlocks or other process control devices shall be provided to prevent the introduction of regulated 23 medical waste into the primary chamber until the secondary chamber achieves operating 24 temperature as defined in the permit for incinerator operation issued by DAQ. 25 C6) Procedures for obtaining uniform representative composite ash samples shall be submitted to the 26 Division for approval in the facility operations plan in accordance with Rule .1204(b)(4) of this 27 Section. Ash sampling procedures shall be approved if the procedures are compliant with the 28 requirements of this Subchapter, are protective of human health and the environment, and if the 29 samples collected using the procedures are representative of the incinerator ash shipped from the 30 facility for disposal. 31 C7) The ash samples shall be collected from the dewatered ash collection container or containers. 32 C8) For the first three months of incinerator operation, the ash sampling procedures required by 33 Subparagraph (6) of this Paragraph shall include the collection of a representative ash sample of one 34 kilogram (2.2 pounds 35 (A) once for every eight hours of operation for an incinerator that is operated on a continuous 36 schedule; 12 of 16 A-50 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 once for every 24 hours of operation for an incinerator that is operated on an intermittent schedule; or once for every batch for an incinerator that is batch -loaded. The ash samples shall be composited in a closed container weekly and shall be mixed and reduced to a uniform ash sample. The weekly ash samples shall be composited into a monthly ash sample, and the monthly ash sample shall be analyzed. For the remainder of the first year of incinerator operation, a representative ash sample shall be collected once per month using the procedures described in the facility operations plan. The monthly ash samples shall be composited and reduced to a uniform quarterly ash sample, and the quarterly ash samples shall be analyzed. 10 After the first year of incinerator operation, representative composite ash samples shall be collected using the procedures described in the facility operations plan twice per calendar year, with no less than four months between sample collection, and the samples shall be analyzed. 11 Ash samples required to be analyzed in accordance with Subpara agr nhs (8) through (10) of this Paragraph shall be analyzed in accordance with 40 CFR 261.24 for the eight metals listed in Table 1 (arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, and silver). 40 CFR 261 is incorporated by reference includingsubsequent ubsequent amendments and editions; and can be accessed at no cost at https://www.gpo.gov/. 12 A record of the testing and analysis results shall be submitted to the Division for the first year of incinerator operation, and thereafter shall be maintained at the facility and available for inspection by the Division, and shall be submitted upon request from the Division, and shall include: W the composite ash sample date and time; the ash sample date and time; LQ the ash sample identification number; the ash sample analysis results; and the testing laboratory name and contact information and certification number. 13 The Division may require the treatment facility to collect additional composite ash samples or analyze the samples for the full contaminant list in accordance with 40 CFR 261.24 Table 1 if the results of the analysis required in Subpara agr phs (8) through (,11) of this Paragraph indicate an exceedance of the re ug lato . level in 40 CFR 261.24 Table 1; or during a permittingaction, tion, a facility inspection, or when a complaint is received if it is necessary to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter. The requirements of this Paragraph shall not prevent a municipal solid waste landfill that is accepting incinerator ash from a treatment facility from requiring that additional ash samples be taken and analyzed to determine compliance with the rules of this Subchapter before the ash is accepted for disposal. (e) Chemical treatment requirements: Microbiological waste shall be treated with 10 percent chlorine solution for no less than one hour. 13 of 16 A-51 Q Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subparagaph 2 (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of 3 Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106. 4 (3) A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the 5 test date, the start and end times, and the test results. 6 (fl Microwave treatment requirements: 7 W Microwave energy of appropriate output frequency shall be provided at a temperature of not less 8 than 203 degrees Fahrenheit (95 degrees Celsius) for no less than 30 minutes each cycle. 9 Q The microwave treatment system shall be provided with a monitoring device that records time and 10 temperature of each cycle. A record of the monitoring of the time and temperature of each cycle 11 shall be maintained. 12 (3) Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subpara rg aph 13 (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of 14 Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106 and in accordance with the 15 equipment manufacturer's instructions. 16 (4) A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the 17 test date, the start and end times, and the test result. 18 (g) Ozonation treatment requirements: 19 (1) Testing of treatment under conditions of full loading to confirm compliance with Subpara rg aph 20 (a)(9) of this Rule shall be performed no less than once per week using a biological indicator of 21 Bacillus atrophaeus spores having a population of not less than 1.0 x 106 and in accordance with the 22 equipment manufacturer's instructions. 23 Q Once every six months samples collected under conditions of full loading shall be submitted to an 24 independent laboratory to confirm compliance with Subparagraph (a)(9) of this Rule. 25 0 A record of each test performed shall be maintained and shall include the type of indicator used, the 26 test date, the start and end times, [the epa4ion time, the ine4ation time, ]and the test result. 27 (h) Alternative treatment methods. 28 (1) A treatment facility owner or operator may request to use a method of, or procedures for, regulate 29 medical waste treatment not listed or described in this Rule by submitting a request to the Division 30 for approval. The request shall include documentation that describes the alternative treatment 31 method, explains the procedures and provides analysis results to demonstrate that the treatment 32 method will render the regulated medical waste noninfectious, and describes how the treatment 33 method meets the requirements of the rules of this Section. 34 (2) A request for an alternate method of chemical treatment shall also describe the chemical used to 35 treat the specific microbiological agent(s) of concern for the regulated medical waste type, and shall 36 consider factors such as temperature, contact time, pH, concentration, and the presence and state of 37 dispersion, penetrability, and reactivity of organic material at the site of application. 14 of 16 A-52 1 0 The Division may approve the alternative treatment method by issuing the permit or an approval 2 letter if the alternative treatment method renders the regulated medical waste noninfectious, and the 3 alternative treatment method is compliant with the rules of this Section and protective of human 4 health and the environment. 6 History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; 7 Eff. October 1, 1990; 8 Amended Eff.' October 1, 1992; December 1, 1991; March 1, 1991. 199L 9 Readopted Eff.' November 1, 2019. 15 of 16 A-53 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 15A NCAC 13B .1205 - .1207 are repealed through readoption as published in 33:24 NCR 2365 as follows: 15A NCAC 13B .1205 REQUIREMENTS FOR TRANSPORTERS OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 15A NCAC 13B .1206 REQUIREMENTS FOR STORAGE OF REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE 15A NCAC 13B .1207 OPERATIONAL REQ/REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE TREATMENT FACILITIES History Note: Authority G.S. 130A-309.26; Eff. October 1, 1990; Amended Eff. April 1, 1993; January 4, 1993. 1993; Repealed ff. November 1, 2019. 16 of 16