Toxic Emissions from Hospital Incinerators

I Data from large incinerators shows the potential release of dioxins, heavy metals, and acid gases as air pollutants. Hospital incinerators can present similar problems to a much greater degree, especially ,sinc-e,most of these smaller incinerators do not have effective c'ijmbustion or emission controls and their emissions are poorly dispersed. high content of plastics in the waste. potential for dioxin and acid gas emissions, which have been recently confirmed by the California Air Resources Board emission tests of a Fresno CA hospital incinerator. The improper disposal of low level radioactive wastes in hospital incinerators may also be a new, emerging environmental problem. The application of "Best Available Control Technology" (BACT), similar to that required for hazardous waste incinerators, can effectively controrhospital waste incinerator emissions. Several states are proposing to regulate hospital waste incineration as hazardous waste incineration, similar to USEPA RCRA'regulations. As it may be difficult or uneconomical to apply BACT to certain small hospital incinerators, the only solution may be to encourage the use of larger, more efficient, regional biomedical waste incinerators. The BACT criteria for such systems will be discussed. Hospital incinerators are particularly troublesome because of the This creates a far greater