Texas Administrative Code
Title 25 - HEALTH SERVICES
Part 1 - DEPARTMENT OF STATE HEALTH SERVICES
Chapter 1 - MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Subchapter K - DEFINITION, TREATMENT, AND DISPOSITION OF SPECIAL WASTE FROM HEALTH CARE-RELATED FACILITIES
Section 1.133 - Scope, Covering Exemptions and Minimum Parametric Standards for Waste Treatment Technologies Previously Approved by the Texas Department of State Health Services
Universal Citation: 25 TX Admin Code ยง 1.133
Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Exemptions.
(1) Unless an item is specifically exempted,
all special waste from health care-related facilities must be treated as
provided in these sections.
(2)
These sections do not apply to:
(A)
teeth;
(B) human fetal tissue as
defined in the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 173, and donated in
accordance with that chapter, and human tissue donated for research or teaching
purposes, with the consent of the person authorized to consent as otherwise
provided by law, to an institution of higher learning, medical school, a
teaching hospital affiliated with a medical school, or to a research
institution or individual investigator subject to the jurisdiction of an
institutional review board required by
42 United
States Code 289;
(C) placentas designated for sale and
obtained from a licensed hospital or a licensed birthing center;
(D) in vitro tissue cultures that have not
been intentionally exposed to pathogens;
(E) any material included in the definition
of special waste from health care-related facilities which has been sold,
donated, or in any way transferred from one health care-related facility to a
subsequent facility(s) and other entities specified in subparagraph (B) of this
paragraph for research or teaching purposes until it is discarded;
(F) human tissue that is expelled or removed
from the human body once the person is outside of a healthcare
facility;
(G) the remains of an
unintended, intrauterine fetal death required to be released to the parent of
an unborn child pursuant to Texas Health and Safety Code, §
241.010;
(H) a placenta removed from a
hospital or birthing center pursuant to Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter
172; and
(I) embryonic and fetal
tissue remains subject to the Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter
697.
(b) Minimum parametric standards for waste treatment technologies previously approved by the department.
(1) Chemical
disinfection.
(A) Waste treatment via direct
contact with chemical agents only shall utilize a registered chemical agent or
an approved unregistered chemical agent as follows.
(i) Registered chemical agents.
(I) The chemical agent used shall be
registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas
Department of Agriculture.
(II) The
chemical agent shall be used according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
(ii)
Unregistered chemical agents.
(I) Those
unregistered chemical agents previously approved are:
(-a-) a freshly prepared solution of
household chlorine bleach diluted 1:10 (volume/volume) with water; or
(-b-) a solution of 70% by volume 2-propanol
(isopropyl alcohol).
(II) The containerized waste items shall be
totally immersed in either solution for a period of time not less than three
minutes.
(B)
If a chemical agent has been included by a manufacturer of a
commercially-available waste treatment technology as the principle step in the
treatment process, then:
(i) the chemical
agent (or its precursor(s)) or the microbial inactivating process must be
registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for the
purpose of waste treatment; or
(ii)
the manufacturer must provide evidence that the technology utilizing said
chemical agent (or its precursor(s)) or the microbial inactivating process has
been approved for use in another state; or
(iii) the manufacturer must obtain approval
for the process in accordance with §
1.135
of this title (relating to Performance Standards for Commercially-Available
Alternate Treatment Technologies for Special Waste from Health Care-Related
Facilities).
(C) Waste
immersed in a liquid chemical agent must be thoroughly drained before
disposal.
(2) Chlorine
disinfection/maceration.
(A) The waste must
be shredded prior to or during treatment and made unrecognizable as to
source.
(B) The chlorine solution
must have a free available chlorine concentration of at least 1,100 parts per
million (ppm) when applied to the waste.
(C) The chlorine solution must be drained
from the waste prior to disposal.
(3) Moist heat disinfection. Moist heat
disinfection shall utilize either of the following processes.
(A) When subjecting internally shredded waste
to moist heat assisted by microwave radiation, the temperature of the waste
must reach at least 95 degrees Celsius under atmospheric pressure for at least
30 minutes.
(B) When subjecting
unshredded waste in sealed containers to moist heat assisted by low-frequency
radiowaves, the temperature of the waste must reach at least 90 degrees Celsius
under atmospheric pressure for at least two hours, followed by shredding of the
waste to the extent that the identity of the waste is unrecognizable.
(4) Steam disinfection. Steam
disinfection shall meet all of the following requirements.
(A) To allow for sufficient steam access to
or penetration of the waste, the waste shall be:
(i) packaged according to the recommendations
provided by the manufacturer; and
(ii) loaded into the chamber so as to not
exceed the capacity limits as set by the manufacturer.
(B) When subjecting waste to steam under
pressure, the temperature in the chamber of the autoclave must reach at least
121 degrees Celsius and there must be at least 15 pounds per square inch gauge
pressure for at least 30 minutes.
(C) The autoclave must be operated according
to the manufacturer's instructions.
(5) Thermal inactivation. Thermal
inactivation shall meet all of the following requirements.
(A) To allow for sufficient dry heat access
to or penetration of the waste, the waste shall be:
(i) packaged according to the recommendations
provided by the manufacturer; and
(ii) loaded into the chamber so as to not
exceed the capacity limits as set by the manufacturer.
(B) Waste shall be subjected to dry heat of
at least 160 degrees Celsius under atmospheric pressure for at least two
hours.
(C) Waste shall be subjected
to dry heat according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas 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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