Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 46 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL STANDARDS
Part XXXIII - Dental Health Profession
Chapter 10 - Infectious Waste Management
Section XXXIII-1001 - Handling and Disposing of Infectious Waste

Universal Citation: LA Admin Code XXXIII-1001

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

A. The Louisiana State Board of Dentistry has accepted, in principal, the July, 1988 recommendations of the American Dental Association, Division of Scientific Affairs, on Dental Office Infectious Waste Management and adopts the following regulations in connection therewith.

B. Wastes generated in a dental office which are to be considered infectious, and are to be handled and disposed of with special precautions, include the following:

1. sharp items, such as needles, disposable syringes and scalpel blades;

2. human tissues, including extracted teeth;

3. blood, suctioned fluids or other liquid waste.

C. The proper method for handling and disposing of sharp items is as follows.

1. All sharp items should be placed intact in puncture-resistant containers for disposal.

2. The containers should be labeled with a biological hazard tag.

3. The labeled containers should be placed in impervious plastic bags before disposing of them in a sanitary landfill. Alternatively, as an additional step, the dentist may prepare a slurry of gypsum plaster, pour it into the container and allow it to harden to encase the sharp objects in the set plaster. The container may then be disposed of in sturdy, impervious plastic bags as appropriate for other solid waste materials.

D. The proper method of handling and disposing of human tissues is as follows.

1. Human tissue may be handled in the same manner as sharp items.

2. Alternatively, human tissues may be incinerated or autoclaved prior to disposal. Extracted teeth containing metal restorations should not be autoclaved prior to disposal because of the possible release of potentially harmful vapors, such as mercury vapor.

3. Human tissues and extracted teeth not placed in a fixative and submitted for pathological examination may be placed in a chemical agent for sterilization.

4. Human tissue, if handled in the same manner as sharp items, should be labeled with a biological hazard tag. If stored prior to incineration or being autoclaved, the containers holding such wastes should also be labeled with biological hazard tags. After incineration or autoclaving, the remaining waste is no longer infectious and any container holding such remaining waste would not require any labeling as a biological hazard.

E. The proper method for handling and disposing of blood, suctioned fluids or other liquid waste is as follows.

1. Blood, suctioned fluids or other liquid wastes may be carefully poured into a drain connected to a sanitary sewer system.

2. All bottles or other containers used to collect blood, suctioned fluids or other liquid wastes for disposal should be labeled with a biological hazard tag or symbol.

F. Other solid waste materials contaminated with blood or other body fluids, such as gloves, masks, wipes, paper drapes and surface covers, do not require special precautions. These materials should be placed in sealed, sturdy, impervious plastic bags to prevent human contact with them, and disposal should be in the same manner as with other solid wastes.

G. All dentists shall comply with the foregoing regulations in identifying, handling and disposing of infectious waste material.

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:760(8).

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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