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608 Waste Management Practices: Municipal, Hazardous, and Industrial
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QUESTIONS

1. List the institutions generating most of the medical waste in the United States. In which
specific institution is the majority produced?
2. What are the agency(ies) that regulate wastes generated at healthcare facilities?
3. What is the status of the Medical Waste Tracking Act?
4. How is the incineration of medical waste regulated?
5. List and discuss the alternatives to incineration for treating and disposing of medical waste.
6. Which federal agencies other than the EPA regulate potentially infectious medical waste?
7. Are there regulations relating to the land disposal of medical waste?
8. What is the difference between ‘infectious waste’ and ‘medical waste?’
9. Teeth are considered infectious waste. Under the federal regulations, is it permissible to
bring an extracted tooth home from the dentist?
10. The Robust Health Care Company generates very little infectious waste (less than 20 kg,
or about 50 lb/month). How are they required to manage these wastes?
11. Under federal regulations, what is the standard definition of an infectious waste? Under
which body of regulations is this covered?
12. What are the exemptions to the definition of regulated medical waste?
13. What are the container requirements for regulated medical waste? How are sharps to be
containerized?
14. What are the requirements regarding tracking of medical waste shipments? How are non-
returned forms to be addressed?
15. What specific microorganisms are employed to test the efficiency of sterilization by auto-
claving? Describe the procedure.
.