Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. Applicability
1. This Subchapter applies to all
incinerators installed and operated in Louisiana for the purpose of reducing
potentially infectious medical waste generated in all health and medical care
facilities as defined herein.
2.
Crematories are exempt from this Subchapter.
B. Definitions. The words and terms used in
this Subchapter are defined in LAC 33:III.Chapter 51, and LAC 33:III.111 and
40
CFR 60.2, as incorporated by reference in LAC
33:III.Chapter 30, unless otherwise specifically defined as follows.
Antineoplastic Agents- that portion of
potentially infectious medical waste containing chemicals that are administered
to deter the growth of abnormal cells and/or tumors.
Biomedical Waste Incinerator- any
incinerator operated for reducing potentially infectious medical waste
generated by health and medical care facilities.
Chemotherapeutic Waste- that portion of
potentially infectious medical waste containing chemical substances that are
administered in the treatment of diseases, especially cancer, and diseases
caused by parasites.
Crematory- any furnace or incinerator
used in the process of burning Type IV waste for the purpose of reducing the
volume of the waste by removing combustible matter and vaporizing moisture
through the application of heat.
Health and Medical Care Facilities- shall
include, but not be limited to, hospitals, clinics, dialysis facilities,
birthing centers, emergency medical services, physicians' offices, outpatient
clinics, nursing homes, extended care facilities, podiatry offices, dental
offices and clinics, medical research and diagnostic laboratories, home health
care services, mortuaries, blood and plasma centers, blood collection mobile
units, and veterinary medical centers.
Infectious Waste- that portion of
potentially infectious waste which contains pathogens with sufficient virulence
and quantity so that exposure to a susceptible host could result in contracting
a disease.
Medical Waste- that portion of
potentially infectious waste generated by operation of programs and offices in
health and medical care facilities.
PM10-particulate
matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to a nominal 10
micrometers as measured by the method in 40 CFR Part 50, Appendix J.
PM10 Emissions-
finely divided solid or liquid material with an aerodynamic diameter less than
or equal to a nominal 10 micrometers emitted to the ambient air as measured by
the methods specified in 40 CFR Part 52.
Potentially Infectious Medical Waste- a
mixture of infectious waste, medical waste, and other waste which may
potentially be infectious due to its physical characteristics or by how it was
generated in the health care facilities. This includes, but is not limited to,
the following types of waste:
a.
cultures and stocks of infectious agents from laboratories;
b. pathological waste, including human
tissue, organs, body parts, and fluids removed during surgery or
autopsy;
c. blood, serum, blood
collection bags, tubes, and vials;
d. needles, scalpels, syringes, pipettes, and
other sharp objects used in health care or laboratory settings;
e. bandages, diapers, and other disposable
materials that have been in contact with infected wounds or contaminated by
patients isolated to prevent the spread of infectious diseases; and
f. any other refuse that has been in contact
with any potentially infectious medical waste.
Type IV Waste- human and/or animal
remains consisting of corpses, carcasses, organs, and solid organic wastes
consisting of up to 85 percent moisture and 5 percent incombustible
solids.
C.
Registration
1. Within 90 days after adoption
of these regulations, all facilities operating incinerators designed or
operated for the purpose of burning potentially infectious medical waste, shall
submit a supplemental incinerator data form (SID-1) to SPOC.
2. All facilities operating unpermitted
incinerators designed or operated for the purpose of burning potentially
infectious medical waste, shall submit an Application for Approval of Emissions
and Emissions Inventory Questionnaire with appropriate permitting information
on or before October 20, 1994.
D. Incinerator Design Requirements
1. All biomedical waste incinerators (BWIs)
shall be multi-chambered units with burners capable of maintaining minimum
temperatures of 1500°F in the primary chamber and 1800°F in the secondary
chamber. Units burning chemotherapeutic waste, antineoplastic agents, and/or
potentially infectious medical waste generated off-site shall require burners
capable of maintaining minimum temperatures of 1500°F in the primary chamber
and 2000°F in the secondary chamber. Design capacity shall be based on 8500 Btu
per pound of waste incinerated. A temperature indicator and/or recorder shall
be installed to monitor gas temperatures at the exit of the primary chamber.
Internal temperature of the secondary chamber shall be monitored and
continuously recorded.
2. All BWIs
shall have a minimum retention time of 1.5 seconds for gases in the secondary
chamber. Incinerators burning antineoplastic agents, chemotherapeutic waste,
and/or potentially infectious medical waste generated off-site shall require a
minimum of 2.0 seconds retention time.
3. All BWIs shall be equipped with an
interlock that prevents the charge door from opening for 10 minutes after the
secondary burner is ignited, or until the secondary chamber exit gases reach
1800°F, whichever occurs first. A visual warning system shall alert the
operator when the interlock is bypassed for service or cleaning.
E. Restrictions on Emissions
1. All BWIs designed for less than 500
pounds-per-hour charging rate shall not emit PM10 in
excess of 0.08 grains per dry standard cubic foot of flue gas corrected to 7
percent oxygen. BWIs designed for 500 pounds-per-hour or greater charging rate
shall not emit in excess of 0.04 grains of PM10 per dry
standard cubic foot of flue gas corrected to 7 percent oxygen.
2. Emission limits for all BWIs shall
include:
a. hydrogen chloride (HCl)-no more
than 4 pounds-per-hour, unless controlled through an acid gas scrubber or other
control device which achieves a 98 percent reduction of HCl:
i. incinerators designed for 500
pounds-per-hour or greater charging rate shall be equipped with an acid gas
control device or shall continuously monitor flue gas to show compliance with
HCl emission limits; and
ii. all
BWIs which burn waste generated off-site shall be equipped with an acid gas
control device of 98 percent efficiency;
b. sulfur dioxide-100 ppmv (dry basis) at 7
percent oxygen or 70 percent reduction through an acid gas control
device;
c. carbon monoxide (one
hour rolling average)-100 ppmv (dry basis) at 7 percent oxygen;
d. nitrogen oxide-250 ppmv (dry basis) at 7
percent oxygen;
e. speciated
hydrocarbons and heavy metals emissions must meet the requirements of LAC
33:III.Chapter 51;
f. opacity of
stack gases shall not exceed 10 percent; and
g. excess oxygen in flue gas-2 percent
minimum by volume (dry basis).
3. All BWIs designed for 500 pounds-per-hour
or greater charging rate shall have a continuous monitoring and recording
system installed for oxygen and carbon monoxide.
4. Reserved.
5. All BWIs shall be designed with a stack
emission point that controls to the maximum extent possible the discharge of
air contaminents and which does not adversely impact air quality in the local
area. All incinerator stack heights must be approved by the administrative
authority.
6. All BWIs with a
design charging rate in excess of 250 pounds-per-hour shall conduct emission
tests to verify compliance with this Subsection for PM10
and HCl. In addition, BWIs with a design charging rate of 500 pounds or more
per hour shall conduct emission tests to verify compliance with the standards
for the following pollutants using the test methods from 40 CFR Part 60,
Appendix A:
a. Method 5-Determination of
Particulate Emissions from Stationary Sources (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A, as
incorporated by reference at LAC 33:III.3003);
b. Method 6-Determination of Sulfur Dioxide
Emissions from Stationary Sources (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A, as incorporated
by reference at LAC 33:III.3003);
c. Method 7-Determination of Nitrogen Oxide
Emissions from Stationary Sources (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A, as incorporated
by reference at LAC 33:III.3003);
d. Method 26-Determination of Hydrogen
Chloride Emissions from Stationary Sources (40 CFR Part 60, Appendix A, as
incorporated by reference at LAC 33:III.3003); and/or
e. other tests which may be added at pretest
meetings.
7. At least 30
days prior to performing any emission test, notification of testing shall be
made to the Office of Environmental Services to afford the department the
opportunity to conduct a pretest conference and to have an observer
present.
8. A copy of all
monitoring and tests results shall be submitted to the Office of Environmental
Services for review and approval within 60 days of completion of
testing.
F. Radioactive
Materials. Incineration of radioactive materials shall comply with the
requirements of LAC 33:XV.463.
G.
Ash Removal and Disposal. The removal, handling, storage, and transportation of
ashes from the BWIs shall not allow controllable particulate matter to become
airborne in amounts that will cause a public nuisance or cause ambient air
quality standards to be violated.
H. Maintenance of Equipment. The BWI,
auxiliary equipment, accessories, pollution control devices, and monitoring
instruments shall be maintained in proper working order and operated according
to manufacturer's instructions at all times that the incinerator is in
operation.
I. Restrictions. All
batteries and chemotherapeutic waste listed under the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act,
40
CFR 261.33(f), shall be
removed from the waste feed stream prior to incineration.
J. Circumvention. No owner or operator
subject to the provisions of this Chapter shall build, install, erect, or use
any machine, equipment, process, or method, the use of which conceals an
emission that would otherwise constitute a violation of an applicable standard.
Such concealment includes, but is not limited to, the use of gaseous diluents
to achieve compliance with an emissions standard and the installation of more
than one incinerator to avoid coverage by a standard that applies only to
incinerators with greater design charging capacities.
K. Prohibited Activities. No owner or
operator shall operate any source subject to this standard in violation of the
standards after October 20, 1994.
L. Recordkeeping/Reporting. The owner or
operator of any BWI shall keep a daily record of the hours the unit was in
operation and the amount of waste incinerated. A separate record shall be kept
of all chemotherapeutic waste incinerated that is not listed under the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act,
40
CFR 261.33(f). This record
shall show the name of the material, date and time incinerated, and amount
burned. Records shall be submitted to the Office of Environmental Compliance by
March 31 for the previous calendar year.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
30:2054.
