University halts incineration of animals after violation (w/documents)
July 22, 2009 by BRITTANY COFER
Filed under News
The University was cited earlier this month by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for operating three incinerators out of compliance with its air quality permit under the Georgia Air Quality Act, University officials said Tuesday.
The incinerators in question – located at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the Poultry Diagnostic Research Center and the Animal Health Research Center – were burning waste defined as “medical/infectious,” but were only permitted to burn “pathological waste.”
“This is a matter of compliance with a permit,” said Sheila Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “At no point were we concerned about public safety.”
At this time, the University has been cited by the EPD and Allen is unsure if the University will be fined for violating the permit.
Allen said the violation is based on the definitions of “pathological” versus “medical/infectious” waste. Pathological waste consists of human or animal remains, anatomical parts, and/or tissue, the bags/containers used to collect and transport the waste material and animal bedding. Medical/infectious waste is defined as animal waste including contaminated animal carcasses, body parts and bedding, or animals known to be infected with highly communicable diseases.
Lou Musgrove, program manager of the Stationary Source Compliance Program in the Georgia Air Protection branch of the EPD, said the University’s permit states it could only incinerate pathological waste and not medical/infectious waste.
“Obviously the University would need to know the difference in the definitions,” Musgrove said. “It is their responsibility to know the difference.”
A facility manager at the AHRC called the EPD July 7 to inquire about procedures to follow when burning manure, which is when the University found out its permit to burn pathological waste did not include materials infected with infectious diseases – which is covered under the definition of medical/infectious waste.
Allen said the University has been working with the EPD and receives regular inspections on the incinerators, but this was the first they knew of the violation. She said the facilities immediately stopped burning the medical/infectious waste and now have 30 days to file a request for an exemption, which would allow the University to incinerate such waste.
For the time being, “waste is being stored until it can be disposed of in an improved method,” Allen said.
This includes methods such as storing waste in a freezer, using the AHRC’s tissue digester for amounts of waste more than 2,000 pounds or contracting the removal with an outside service provider.
Vice President for Public Affairs Tom Jackson said the three incinerators were separately permitted until 2000, when laws changed and the incinerators were then consolidated into one permit. The University was permitted to burn up to 10 percent medical/infectious waste until 2000.
“We brought this issue up,” said John McCollum, assistant vice president for the University’s Environmental Safety Division. “This is a proactive approach on our part. We have a good relationship with the inspector and the EDP as a whole.”
