Law Causes Big Changes for Medical Facilities : Environment: County officials are flooded with calls from offices and clinics. They say that’s a sign that firms are now treating their byproducts.

A new state law that took effect last month has forced big changes in the way small medical facilities in Ventura County dispose of medical waste, according to county environmental health officials.

A survey conducted in December concluded that more than a third of the county’s clinics, veterinary businesses, doctors’ offices, dental centers and other medical facilities did not treat medical waste before throwing it away.

However, Donald Koepp, director of the county’s environmental health division, said he has received a flood of phone calls about the law, indicating that many businesses have begun to change their practices.

“We’ve had a tremendous amount of calls,” he said. “We have to assume that there are some changes starting to occur.”

Since 1987, there have been 23 incidents involving illegally disposed medical waste in Ventura County that required emergency responses from police and fire officials, according to authorities.

Until last month the practice of throwing away untreated medical waste along with other garbage was permitted only for businesses that generated less than 200 pounds of medical waste per month.

However, the new law that took effect April 1 requires all facilities, no matter how small, to sterilize medical waste before throwing it away. More than 1,500 businesses in the county generate medical waste, according to county officials.

Illegally throwing away untreated medical waste is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and one year in jail.

Koepp said untreated medical waste is dangerous because it may contain infectious bacteria and sharp objects such as hypodermic needles and scalpels.

Medical waste is treated by being placed in an autoclave, a device that sterilizes material by exposing it to heat, Koepp said.

The survey by the county’s environmental health division was included in a plan to hire a full-time employee to regulate the disposal of medical waste in the county. Under the plan, each facility would be charged a fee to pay for the regulation program. The fees would range from $50 to $1,400 depending on the amount of waste.

The Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal today.

Of the 791 medical businesses that responded to the survey, 209 businesses that generate less than 200 pounds of medical waste per month said they do not treat their waste before throwing it away.

Ten others responded that they simply store the waste with no plans to treat it or dispose of it.

Only two facilities that generate more than 200 pounds of medical waste per month said they do not treat medical waste before disposing of it, according to the survey.

Michael Brown, president of the Ventura County Medical Society, said there has been a lot of talk about the new law among doctors in Ventura County. Although most are willing to comply with the law, he said, many doctors worry that the new law will mean higher expenses and more bureaucracy.

Although Brown believes that most doctors properly treat their medical waste, he said the law “may have grown out of some individuals taking advantage of the situation.”

However, John Baily, the executive director of the California Podiatric Assn., said many podiatrists with small practices throughout the state are still unsure about how to comply with the law and how much compliance will cost.

“There is concern about the cost and about what the regulations are actually going to mean,” Baily said. “We have a lot of people who have small practices, and it could amount to a great deal of money.”

Monty Clark, vice president of the Hospital Council of Southern California, said the new law does not affect hospitals, which have long been required to treat medical waste.

But for small medical practices, Clark said, the cost to comply with the law may be high. “It’s an expensive proposition because only certain haulers can dispose of it,” he said.