HomeMy WebLinkAboutHealth February 17 20091
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Health Committee
February 17, 2009
Committee Member L. Ward Nelson called the meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present: Absent:
Carl Weimer
Barbara Brenner
Also Present:
1. DISCUSSION REGARDING WCC 21.06, SOLID WASTE RULES, REGARDING
SHARPS DISPOSAL/ DISCUSSION REGARDING BIOMEDICAL WASTE
PROPOSAL (AB2009 -022A)
Ordinance 2002 -021: Ordinance Amending Whatcom County Code (WCC) 24.06,
Solid Waste Rules and Regulations.
John Wolpers, Health Department, stated they have done research and gathered
information that Geoff Hegedus will present.
Geoff Hegedus, Health Department, submitted information (on file). He
demonstrated how sharps and containers are used.
(Clerk's Note: Due to audiotape malfunction, portions of this meeting were not
recorded.)
Hegedus stated that if a jurisdiction has a collection program for sharps, the sharps
can't go into the garbage. Residential sharps are not what they're considering today. They
are considering commercial sources.
When considering risk, consider the number of commercial versus residential sharps
going into the waste stream. He read statistics from the handout on the sharps waste
stream volumes. People are required to properly package and label residential sharps. If
everyone does that, and uses two gallon jugs, 114 jugs per day would go into garbage
trucks and on the tipping floor.
If they are interested in exempting commercial sources of retractable sharps,
compare to the number of residential sharps that are exempted. That is the risk calculation.
St. Joseph hospital does not use retractable needles. They prefer to use safety needles,
which isn't protective at all. It is designed to protect healthcare workers, but the concern
here is for solid waste workers. The safety needle would be exposed in a compactor. They
know that retractable needles are popular for flu vaccinations. He continued to read the
handout on handout page three regarding the sharps waste stream volumes.
Haulers haven't had any reported needle stick injuries since 1996. Since 1991,
changes in the solid waste industry are minimizing needle stick injuries.
Health Committee, 2/17/2009, Page 1
1 Weimer asked if the cost difference would ,cause St. Joseph Hospital to switch to
2 retractable needles. Hegedus stated the cost is in the product, not the disposal of the
3 product.
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5 Nelson stated the hospital likes the safety needles because it is more convenient for
6 their uses in intravenous bags.
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8 Brenner stated the Council has said flu shots for the citizens are a high priority. By
9 exempting retractable needles,. they can get people to offer more flu shots. That is her
10 goal. The likelihood of a needle stick is low with the retractable needle and the disposal
11 container.
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13 Nelson asked about the cost for hauling. He asked about Health Department
14 disposal.
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16 Regina Delahunt, Health Department Director, stated the Health Department and Jail
17 dispose of over 130 gallons of all medical waste per month.
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19 Hegedus stated they generate about 5,000 retractable needles and about 100
20 pounds of sharps per year. They are from the needle exchange program.
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22 Delahunt stated they use retractable needles for the Health Department
23 vaccinations. The folks in the needle exchange program don't use retractable needles.
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25 Nelson stated the needles are used for much more than diabetes injections. His
26 pharmacy uses only retractable needles. They can't encourage pharmacy vaccinations if
27 they increase the cost.
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29 Brenner stated they are encouraging more vaccinations and more retractable needle
30 use of they exempt retractable needles. She asked the downside. Hegedus stated the
31 initial concern was about all the added sharps going into the waste stream, especially when
32 there is a private disposal provider service.
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34 Brenner asked if there has been any case in which a solid waste worker was
35 punctured by a retractable needle. Hegedus stated there has not been.
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37 Nelson stated that needle stick information is tracked by the State Department of
38 Labor & Industries (L &I).
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40 Hegedus stated L &I doesn't track whether the stick came from a retractable needle.
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42 Brenner asked if that is something that L &I should track. Hegedus stated he can
43 suggest it to them.
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45 Weimer stated this information is enlightening. He doesn't have any big concerns
46 with the exemption. However, the home container shown would pop open when
47 compacted, and the needles would come out.
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49 Nelson stated there are other types of containers that would prevent that from
50 happening. Keep in mind that other types of needles from a clinic will be added to the
51 waste stream.
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Health Committee, 2/17/2009, Page 2
1 Brenner asked if solid waste workers have to use puncture -proof gloves. Hegedus
2 stated they do not.
3
4 Nelson stated Recycling and Disposal Services (RDS) is considering sorting their
5 material. That will create more of a problem. Delahunt stated they were doing a lot of
6 sorting when this originally went into effect. They stopped sorting, and the material is now
7 just bulldozed. Now, nobody is getting stuck.
8
9 Hegedus stated staff has suggested language proposing an exemption if that's the
10 policy direction.
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12 Delahunt asked if the Committee is talking about any small quantity business
13 generator that uses retractable needles, or just pharmacies and clinics.
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15 Nelson stated that depends on the language that staff recommends.
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17 Wolpers submitted proposed language that staff have started with. There would
18 have to be a definition in the regulations. The draft language expresses what they're trying
19 to get across. He submitted the actual regulation language in section 24.06.040(A)(2) and
20 a proposed definition of retractable sharps in section 24.06.030.
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22 Nelson stated the retractable needles retract manually, not automatically, as shown
23 in the proposed definition.
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25 Wolpers stated that they originally talked about measurements in pounds. However,
26 they may not need to use pounds as the measurement thresholds. They can consider other
27 measurements.
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29 Brenner stated measure by volume, not weight.
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31 Nelson stated he recommends a volume of up to five gallons per year. ` It would be;,.
32 up to the business to decide how much they dispose of and when, up to five,;gallons per,
33 yea r._.
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35 Weimer stated they aren't worried about how many gallons per year as;mu'ch'as how
36 big of a disposal unit at a time. They can't keep track of how much is disposed of pe,'ayear.
37 Hegedus stated one- to two - gallon is not a bad size limit. A five - gallon container' Ji:a*s a lot"
38 of sharps.
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40 Nelson stated specify a two - gallon container limit per instance of disposal.
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42 The committee concurred.
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44 Nelson moved to request staff to put together an ordinance for the Board of Health
45 to amend Whatcom County Code (WCC) 24.06 as discussed in the handouts, including the
46 definition in WCC 24.06.030 and WCC 24.06.040(A)(2).
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48 Motion carried unanimously.
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50 Wolpers stated there are other sections of the code that they will need to delete
51 because of what they are attempting to do here.
52
Health Committee, 2/17/2009, Page 3
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Nelson stated those sections would still apply to needles that aren't retractable.
Wolpers stated that is correct.
The committee concurred.
Hegedus stated add a statement that they must also comply with state and federal
regulations.
Delahunt stated staff will run it past legal counsel.
The committee concurred.
Nelson stated schedule this at the next Board of Health meeting. He asked if this
should go through the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). Delahunt stated she didn't
think so. After the discussion with the Board of Health, the Health Board will be required to
have a public hearing.
Weimer stated they should talk to the worker unions and let them know about this.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at 2:25 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
C L. Ward Nels ' ,'Co ittee Chair
Health Committee, 2/17/2009, Page 4