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Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act

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This act is also known as the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. It is intended to give citizens, local governments, and local response authorities information about the potential hazards in their community. Title III of this act (better known as EPCRA) requires emergency planning and designates state and local governments to receive information about certain chemicals in the community.

Medical Waste Tracking Act

This act was a 2-year demonstration program for medical waste tracking from June 1989 to June 1991. The program expired and there are no federal tracking requirements in place now. However, many states have developed tracking and management programs.

Clean Air Act

The Clean Air Act and its amendments are there to protect and enhance the nation’s air resources to protect public health and welfare and encourage the production of goods and services in such a manner that it will not be harmful. Under this act many institutions have to obtain permits for their air emissions. Most hospital boilers and medical waste incinerators fall under these standards. Hazardous air pollutants including asbestos and those coming from boilers and process heaters as well as chemical accidents and their prevention, are covered by federal regulations. There is a refrigerant recycling rule for maximum recovery and recycling of refrigerants so they do not escape to the air.

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Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA)
EPCRA was enacted in 1986 as part of the Superfund Amendments Reauthorization Act (SARA) and in part was in response to a toxic chemical release in Bhopal, India, that killed more than 3,000 people immediately and caused serious injuries and lingering health effects to thousands of others (Broughton...
(Strategic Environmental Performance: Obtaining and Sustaining Compliance)
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
This act required that each governor of a state appoints a State Emergency Response Commission that will report directly to him/her or serve himself/herself as the commission chairperson of a select committee. The commission then establishes emergency planning districts in order to prepare and implement...
(Best practices for environmental health : environmental pollution, protection, quality and sustainability)
Medical Waste and Other Hazardous Substances Including Cleaning Materials
Solid waste is a high cost area of hospital and other healthcare facility expenses. The solid waste has to be divided into normal solid waste produced by various businesses including considerable paper and paper board, plastic, glass, food remnants, and medical waste and other hazardous substances. Utilize...
(Best practices for environmental health : environmental pollution, protection, quality and sustainability)
Medical Waste
(See endnotes 40, 42, 43, 44) Medical waste is material or bodily fluids which are potentially contaminated and may be involved in the diagnosis, treatment, immunization, or research of human beings or animals. Infectious medical waste includes: blood-saturated material; pathological waste including...
(Best practices for environmental health : environmental pollution, protection, quality and sustainability)
What is the Clean Air Act?
In New York City in 1966, air pollution became so awful that hundreds of deaths were attributed to it that year. This and other serious pollution problems in America led to the 1970 Clean Air Act, which was later amended in 1977 and again in 1990. The Clean Air Act was designed to improve the air quality...
(The handy weather answer book)
Clean Air Act and the Economy
There is a requirement in the Clean Air Act Amendment of 1990 that the EPA periodically determines the effect of the law on public health, the economy, and the environment of the United States. The broad response is that the Clean Air Act has helped build the economy and create jobs while reducing pollution...
(Best practices for environmental health : environmental pollution, protection, quality and sustainability)