A brief answer to your lengthy questioning...

At the University of Minnesota, I have to package up ALL of my hazardous
waste, fill out forms, and call for hazardous waste pickup.  The U of MN
collects waste of any kind and stores it in a facility off-campus in barrels
that are then either buried or burned as fuel.  It matters NOT how dilute a
chemical may be in the collection bottle... we have to package up everything
considered hazardous by industry standards.

The only thing that goes down the drain are the non-hazardous chemicals,
such as neutral pH buffers.

Jan Shivers
Immunohistochemistry Lab
Univ. of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rivera, Maria L. (Tallahassee)" <riveraml@fdhc.state.fl.us>
To: <Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 9:34 AM
Subject: Biohazard Chemicals regulations


> Hello, me again. To those of you that suggested I turn to the State
Agency,
> I AM the State Agency, I am asking if these regulations or policies are
> specific to a certain regulation and What that regulation is. Yes I have
the
> OSHA regulations (Standards-29 CFR) .
> Every hospital has it's own policy regarding chemical waste DISPOSAL and I
> was wondering if that is because they use different chemicals?  I know
that
> Silver Nitrate "sticks" to the drain pipes, why?  Does everybody use  "Red
> Waste Disposal  Cans"  to "dispose" of this waste and have it carried out?
> What is "Waste Disposal?" Or do you put it down the drain because the
amount
> is so small it is insignificant? I also know that there are certain stains
> that contain carcinogens, what are those stains? I know that most
histology
> labs wash the glassware with Bleach, what precautions do you use when you
> have ammonia in the glassware? Dump the solution? Where? If your
institution
> allows you to dump down the drain, does the institution have a "holding
> tank"??
> What about tissue that falls in the sink? Do you have a "Garbage Disposal"
> and does that ( the tissue) then go into the community sewer system. What
> about left over Cytology specimens , are they tossed in the sink? Do you
> decontaminate them first, if so with what? Bleach?
> Although I have the "rules" I want to know how they are "applied" and
which
> "rule do you use for this application.
>
> One more thing, if you "chunk" out a "frozen" do you fish it out and put
it
> back on the chuck? How do you know it is the same piece? What if another
> tech is assigned to "fish it out" and replace it, how would that tech
"know"
> where that tissue came from and is the Pathologist informed?  What are
those
> regulations or policies? Who make those rules?
>
> Have many more questions. HELP.
>
> I need  HELP  with  a "whodunit" and WHY.
>
>
>
>