Treatment Or Disposal Of Infectious Medical Waste Shall Be by One Of the

Treatment Or Disposal Of Infectious Medical Waste Shall Be by One Of the Following Methods: 1. By incineration in an approved incinerator which provides combustion of the waste to carbonized or mineralized ash. 2. By sterilization by heating in a steam sterilizer, so as to render the waste non- infectious. Infectious medical waste so rendered non-infectious shall be disposable as medical waste. Operating procedures for steam sterilizers shall include, but not be limited to the following: a. Adoption of standard written operating procedures or each steam sterilizer including time, temperature, pressure, type of waste, type of container(s), closure on container(s), pattern of loading, water content, and maximum load quantity; b. Check or recording and/or indicating thermometers during each complete cycle to ensure the attainment of a temperature of 121 C (250 degrees F) for one-half hour or longer, depending on quantity and density of the load, in order to achieve sterilization of the entire load. Thermometers shall be checked for calibration at least annually; c. Use of heat sensitive tape or other device for each container that is processed to indicate the attainment of adequate sterilization conditions; d. Use of the biological indicator Bacillus stearothermophilus placed at the center of a load processed under standard operating conditions at least monthly to confirm the attainment of adequate sterilization conditions; e. Maintenance of records of procedures specified in (a), (b), (c) and (d) above for period of not less than a year; f. By discharge to the approved sewerage system if the waste is liquid or semi- liquid, except as prohibited by the Mississippi State Department of Health. 3. Recognizable human anatomical remains shall be disposed of by incineration or internment, unless burial at an approved landfill is specifically authorized by the Mississippi State Department of Health. 4. Chemical sterilization shall use only those chemical sterilants recognized by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances. 5. Ethylene oxide, glutaraldehyde, and hydrogen peroxide are examples of sterilants that, used in accordance with manufacturer recommendation, will render infectious waste non-infectious. Testing with Bacillus Subtilis Spores or other equivalent organisms shall be conducted quarterly to ensure the sterilization effectiveness of gas or steam treatment.