Implementing the medical waste air toxics regulations in New York State: a case study

Over the past several years, the subject of air toxics has received a great deal of public attention. Starting with the Right-To-Know requirements imposed on industry under Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 and continuing with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the regulatory atmosphere governing quantification and, ultimately, control of these pollutants has never been more complex. In addition to the significant costs that these regulations have had and will continue to have on industry, public awareness and participation in the industrial community has also increased. This has led to a symbiotic relationship; one, however, that is sometimes strained. Although the public generally agrees with every attempt taken to reduce toxic air pollutant emissions, the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) syndrome has become so widespread, that it often prevents an environmentally beneficial project from being realized. For example, the creation of regional medical waste incineration facilities, many of which propose state-of-the-art air pollution control equipment, has been met with much opposition from public interest groups. As a result, older, less efficient, facilities continue to operate, exacerbating today's air pollution problems. The implementation of more stringent air pollution regulations, such as Part 219-3, will force these older facilities to evaluate expensive retrofit options or find alternate methods of disposing of their medical waste. For many smaller facilities, where expensive air pollution control equipment would be cost prohibitive, the only alternative is to find another facility that has excess capacity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)