The discovery of improperly disposed infectious waste, including blood-tainted syringes, tubes and bags, has resulted in a $100,000 fine against Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
An investigation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) found the HealthPartners-affiliated hospital had improperly sorted infectious waste “multiple times” for delivery to a waste-to-energy facility that wasn’t equipped for such material.
An MPCA announcement of the fine on Thursday said “the waste included liquid blood and liquids contaminated with liquid blood in syringes, tubing, plastic bags, suction canisters, and laboratory collection tubes.“ The receiving facility notified the state last July and retained a contractor to segregate the waste and have sent to an appropriate disposal site.
Regions hasn’t committed another offense since then, and has revised its procedures to make sure infectious waste is properly sorted, HealthPartners said in a written statement provided by spokesperson Jimmy Bellamy.
“We are committed to ensuring infectious medical waste is disposed of properly and continue to partner with Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy,” said the statement.
Delivering infectious waste to the wrong disposal site can create a variety of threats, including to workers if they aren’t equipped to handle exposed needles and other sharp objects. The World Health Organization also warns that infectious waste can pollute water and emit toxins and spread disease if people come in direct contact with tainted material.
Ramsey operates at least one waste-to-energy site in Newport, where recyclable metals and other materials are recovered from trash and converted to fuel for electricity production. However, it’s unclear if this was the facility involved. An MPCA spokesperson declined to identify the site or explain how the multiple errors occurred.
The agency calculates fines based on the severity of the violations, whether they occurred repeatedly, and whether the violator gained any financial benefits by its noncompliance.
