Biohazard and Medical Waste

Home Waste Management Biohazard and Medical Waste

Medical waste and biohazardous waste are not always the same thing, and they often need to be handled quite differently. If you are a generator of such waste, you need to know which category your waste falls into, and treat it according to the proper protocols.

EH&S does not have the facilities to store medical and biohazardous wastes, and therefore does not pick it up with the other laboratory wastes. You should deliver your red bags of biohazard and medical wastes to the lab tech at the second floor laboratory in Cowell Health Center during normal operating hours. If you have questions about this procedure or what you need to do to have your waste accepted by them, call them at 9-2492.

If you still have questions about which definition fits your waste and what to do with it after reviewing the information below, contact Buddy Morris at 9-4454 or Brent Cooley at 9-5394.

Biohazardous waste is defined as anything meeting these criteria:

1. Laboratory waste, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
   1. Human or animal specimen cultures from medical and pathology laboratories.
   2. Cultures and stocks of infectious agents from research laboratories. An infectious agent is a type of microorganism, bacteria, mold, parasite, or virus that normally causes, or significantly contributes to the cause of, increased morbidity or mortality of human beings.
   3. Waste from the production of:
      1. bacteria
      2. viruses
      3. spores
      4. discarded live and attenuated vaccines used in human health care or research
      5. discarded animal vaccines, including Brucellosis and contagious Ecthyma
      6. culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate, and mix cultures
2. Human surgery specimens or tissues removed at surgery or autopsy, which are suspected of being contaminated with infectious agents known to be contagious to humans.
3. Animal parts, tissues, fluids, or carcasses suspected of being contaminated with infectious agents known to be contagious to humans.
4. Waste that contains recognizable fluid blood, fluid blood products, containers or equipment containing blood that is fluid or blood from animals known to be infected with diseases which are highly communicable to humans.

Biohazardous waste should be sterilized or otherwise rendered noninfectious prior to disposal in a dumpster. This must be done by autoclaving or other methods approved by EH&S. Under most circumstances liquid waste that is potentially infectious, such as blood or other potentially infectious body fluids, may be disposed to the sewer without treatment.

1. Autoclave using (as a minimum) standard operating procedures established for the sterilizers being used.
2. Discharge into approved sewer system (liquids and semi-liquids only) after it has been rendered noninfectious.
   Exception: biohazardous waste mixed with chemical waste may NOT be poured into the sewer.
3. Recognizable human anatomical remains must be cremated or interred.
4. Research animals must be disposed of through a UCSC approved vendor. For information, contact the Hazardous Waste Manager at 9-3086.

Medical waste is defined as a waste that meets the definition of both sharps waste or biohazardous waste (as identified above) AND is generated or produced as a result of any of the following actions:

1. Diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals.
2. Research pertaining to the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals.
3. The production or testing of medicinal preparations made from living organisms and their products, including, but not limited to, serums, vaccines, antigens, and antitoxins.

You must be authorized by EH&S to treat medical waste. Medical waste must be treated by autoclaving prior to disposal. Alternative sterilization techniques other than autoclaving require prior approval from EH&S. Medical waste autoclaving procedures include:

1. Autoclave using (as a minimum) standard operating procedures established for the sterilizers being used.
2. Place a strip of autoclave tape, approximately 8-10 inches long, on each container.
3. Autoclave for at least 30 minutes at 121 degrees centigrade. Longer times may be needed on larger, denser loads.
4. Use a strip chart recorded for each run, label with the date, quantity autoclaved and your initials. The strip serves as a record of treatment and must be kept for three years.
5. Sharps containers must be picked up by EH&S. Sterilized bags of non-sharp medical waste may be disposed in the dumpster if it is obvious they have been sterilized.
6. Run monthly spore strips on the autoclave and have the temperature calibrated annually; maintain these records with recorder strips for at least three years.

See the Sharps Q&A for additional guidance on animal research waste.