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healthaegis
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作者：healthaegis 在 海归商务 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
Veterans Administration to Develop Comprehensive Waste Tracking System for Medical Centers in New England
Action Stems from EPA Enforcement in 2005
(Boston, Mass. - Jan. 24, 2007) - In a settlement with EPA, the U.S.
Veterans Administration Healthcare System has committed to implement
a comprehensive hazardous waste and chemicals management inventory
system at all Veterans Administration ("VA") facilities in New
England. The VA is developing the system to settle a 2005 EPA
enforcement action for hazardous waste violations at the VA's medical
center in White River Junction, Vermont.
The system will incorporate hazardous waste pollution reduction
measures into a comprehensive software system that tracks chemical
purchase, use, storage and disposal. The hazardous waste management
tracking system will be piloted in all VA hospitals in New England.
If successful, the waste management system could be usefully applied
to other VA hospitals and health centers, as well as for other
private and public hospitals across the country.
Establishing the comprehensive waste management system will cost at
least $500,000. Under the settlement, the VA will also pay a cash
penalty of $49,748.
"Developing a reliable system for hospitals to track hazardous wastes
can have big impacts across the country by helping hospital directors
reduce use of hazardous chemicals and reduce pollution," said Robert
W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA's New England regional
office. "By ensuring healthcare facilities better manage their
hazardous chemicals and waste, EPA is advancing protection for
patients, for the environment and for the community."
Hospitals contribute to the presence of mercury, dioxin, and other
persistent, bioaccumulative toxics (PBTs) in the environment. In
1998, hospitals were the fourth largest source of mercury discharged
into the environment. Hospitals can generate a wide variety of
hazardous waste, such as chemotherapy and antineoplastic chemicals,
solvents, formaldehyde, photographic chemicals, radionuclides and
waste anesthetic gases. In addition, hospitals produce two million
tons of solid waste - fully one percent of the total municipal solid
waste in the U.S.
Both nationwide and within New England, the VA has been the subject
of repeated violations of environmental regulations. Relying on an
outdated paper-based record keeping system is seen as a significant
contributor to the VA's difficulty complying with hazardous waste
management requirements.
The 2005 EPA action involved the VA's improper storage and handling
of hazardous materials, including potentially explosive hazardous
waste (ether and picric acid) which were stored in clinical
laboratory and pathology areas, posing significant risks to patients
and hospital staff. Following identification, the explosive material
was safely removed from the medical center and detonated. The
licensed disposal company estimated that the waste's explosive power
equaled several sticks of dynamite.
The comprehensive hazardous waste and chemicals management inventory
system will include automatic chemical pre-purchase review; a
chemical product storage inventory management system; implementation
of source reduction and reuse strategies; and a hazardous waste
inventory management and tracking system. Implementing the tracking
software across VA's New England facilities will then help to prevent
pollution and potential exposure concerns for citizens across the
region.
The new tracking methods are expected to help VA facilities
substitute use of potentially hazardous products with less hazardous
replacements, maintain accurate inventories of hazardous products and
their location, and facilitate access to an electronic library of
material safety data sheets (MSDS).
In New England, the VA employs 9,000 people at eight medical campuses
- including eight hospitals and 37 community-based outpatient
clinics. Nationwide, the VA is the second largest federal agency
with a budget of more than $60 billion, employing approximately
230,000 people at hundreds of medical centers, clinics and benefits
offices.
EPA New England has been working with the healthcare sector
(including VA facilities) since late 1994. To date, EPA has joined
with 164 New England healthcare facilities to reduce the generation
of mercury and solid waste.
More information:
EPA's hazardous waste enforcement program in New England
([url]epa.gov/ne/enforcement/waste/index.html[/url])
EPA's Healthcare in New England info ([url]epa.gov/ne/healthcare[/url])
作者：healthaegis 在 海归商务 发贴, 来自【海归网】 http://www.haiguinet.com
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