The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter [
undesignated head], shall have the following meanings unless
the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) - (2)(No change.)
(3)Approved alternate treatment process--A process
for waste treatment which has been approved by the department [
Texas Department of Health] in accordance with §1.135 of
this title (relating to Performance Standards for Commercially-Available
Alternate Treatment Technologies for Special Waste from Health Care-Related
Facilities).
(4) - (17)(No change.)
(18)Cremation--The irreversible process
of reducing tissue or remains to ashes or bone fragments through extreme
heat and evaporation.
[(18)Cremated remains--The bone fragments
remaining after the cremation process, which may include the residue
of any foreign materials that were cremated with the pathological
waste.]
(19) - (26)(No change.)
(27)Executive Commissioner--In this
title, Executive Commissioner means the Executive Commissioner of
the Health and Human Services Commission.
(28)Fetal Tissue--A fetus, body parts,
organs or other tissue from a pregnancy. This term does not include
the umbilical cord, placenta, gestational sac, blood or body fluids.
(29)[(27)] Grave--A space of
ground in a burial park that is used, or intended to be used for the
permanent interment in the ground of pathological waste.
(30)[(28)] Grinding--That physical
process which pulverizes materials, thereby rendering them as unrecognizable,
and for sharps, reduces the potential for the material to cause injuries
such as puncture wounds.
(31)[(29)] Immersed--A process
in which waste is submerged fully into a liquid chemical agent in
a container, or that a sufficient volume of liquid chemical agent
is poured over a containerized waste, such that the liquid completely
surrounds and covers the waste item(s) in the container.
(32)[(30)] Incineration--That
process of burning SWFHCRF in an incinerator as defined in 30 TAC
Chapter 101 under conditions in conformance with standards prescribed
in 30 TAC Chapter 111 by the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality [Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission].
(33)[(31)] Interment--The disposition
of pathological waste by cremation, entombment, burial, or placement
in a niche.
(34)[(32)] Log10 [Log[sub]10[/sub]]--Logarithm
to the base ten.
(35)[(33)] Log10 [Log[sub]10[/sub]] reduction--A
mathematically defined unit used in reference to level or degree of
microbial inactivation. A 4 log10 [
log[sub]10[/sub]] reduction represents a 99.99% reduction in
the numbers of active microorganisms, while a 6 log10 [log[sub]10[/sub]] reduction
represents a 99.9999% reduction in the numbers of active microorganisms.
(36)[(34)] Mausoleum--A structure
or building of most durable and lasting fireproof construction used,
or intended to be used, for the entombment pathological waste.
(37)[(35)] Microbial inactivation--Inactivation
of vegetative bacteria, fungi, lipophilic/hydrophilic viruses, parasites,
and mycobacteria at a 6 log10 [
log[sub]10[/sub]] reduction or greater; and inactivation of
Bacillus subtilis endospores or Bacillus stearothermophilus endospores
at a 4 log10 [log[sub]10[/sub]
] reduction or greater.
(38)[(36)] Microbiological waste--Microbiological
waste includes:
(A)discarded cultures and stocks of infectious agents
and associated biologicals;
(B)discarded cultures of specimens from medical, pathological,
pharmaceutical, research, clinical, commercial, and industrial laboratories;
(C)discarded live and attenuated vaccines, but excluding
the empty containers thereof;
(D)discarded, used disposable culture dishes; and
(E)discarded, used disposable devices used to transfer,
inoculate or mix cultures.
(39)[(37)] Moist heat disinfection--The
subjection of:
(A)internally shredded waste to moist heat, assisted
by microwave radiation under those conditions which effect disinfection;
or
(B)unshredded waste in sealed containers to moist
heat, assisted by low-frequency radiowaves under those conditions
which effect disinfection, followed by shredding of the waste to the
extent that the identity of the waste is unrecognizable.
(40)[(38)] Niche--A recess or
space in a columbarium used, or intended to be used, for the permanent
interment of the cremated remains of pathological waste.
(41)[(39)] Parametric controls--Measurable
standards of equipment operation appropriate to the treatment equipment
including, but not limited to pressure, cycle time, temperature, irradiation
dosage, pH, chemical concentrations, or feed rates.
(42)[(40)] Pathological waste--Pathological
waste includes but is not limited to:
(A)human materials removed during surgery, labor and
delivery, autopsy, embalming, or biopsy, including:
(i)body parts;
(ii)tissues or fetuses;
(iii)organs; and
(iv)bulk blood and body fluids;
(B)products of spontaneous or induced human abortions,
regardless of the period of gestation, including:
(i)body parts;
(ii)tissues or fetuses;
(iii)organs; and
(iv)bulk blood and body fluids;
(C)laboratory specimens of blood and tissue after
completion of laboratory examination; and
(D)anatomical remains.
(43)[(41)] Saturated--Thoroughly
wet such that liquid or fluid flows freely from an item or surface
without compression.
(44)[(42)] Sharps--Sharps include,
but are not limited to the following materials:
(A)when contaminated:
(i)hypodermic needles;
(ii)hypodermic syringes with attached needles;
(iii)scalpel blades;
(iv)razor blades, disposable razors, and disposable
scissors used in surgery, labor and delivery, or other medical procedures;
(v)intravenous stylets and rigid introducers (e.g.,
J wires);
(vi)glass pasteur pipettes, glass pipettes, specimen
tubes, blood culture bottles, and microscope slides;
(vii)broken glass from laboratories; and
(viii)tattoo needles, acupuncture needles, and electrolysis
needles;
(B)regardless of contamination:
(i)hypodermic needles; and
(ii)hypodermic syringes with attached needles.
(45)[(43)] Shredding--That physical
process which cuts, slices, or tears materials into small pieces.
(46)[(44)] Special waste from
health care-related facilities--A solid waste which if improperly
treated or handled may serve to transmit an infectious disease(s)
and which is comprised of the following:
(A)animal waste;
(B)bulk blood, bulk human blood products, and bulk
human body fluids;
(C)microbiological waste;
(D)pathological waste; and
(E)sharps.
(47)[(45)] Steam disinfection--The
act of subjecting waste to steam under pressure under those conditions
which effect disinfection. This was previously called steam sterilization.
(48)[(46)] Thermal inactivation--The
act of subjecting waste to dry heat under those conditions which effect
disinfection.
(49)[(47)] Unrecognizable--The
original appearance of the waste item has been altered such that neither
the waste nor its source can be identified.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has
reviewed the proposal and found it to be within the state agency's
legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on June 20, 2016
TRD-201603119 Lisa Hernandez
General Counsel
Department of State Health Services
Earliest possible date of adoption: July 31, 2016
For further information, please call: (512) 776-6972
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