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Nassau University Medical Center Settles Federal Hazardous Waste Case

Release Date: 03/17/2005
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FOR RELEASE: Thursday, March 17, 2005

(#05023) NEW YORK -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it has reached a settlement with the Nassau Health Care Corporation's University Medical Center for violating federal hazardous waste regulations. The corporation agreed to pay a penalty of $124,000 for violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which governs how hazardous waste is managed.

"Hazardous wastes must be properly managed to protect those who work or live close to them," said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Kathleen C. Callahan. "EPA's 'cradle to grave' requirements for hazardous waste, which prescribe each step that needs to be taken from generation to disposal, help ensure everyone's safety."

Nassau University had not properly designated, labeled or stored its laboratory chemicals as hazardous waste and it did not have a required permit to store the hazardous waste for more than 90 days. EPA discovered the violations at the university's medical center during inspections conducted in December 2002 and January 2003. As part of the settlement, the Nassau Health Care Corporation has now certified that it is complying with all RCRA regulations, and it has agreed to develop and maintain a contingency plan to minimize the impact of a chemical release to the environment.

Related Sites:
EPA Fines Nassau Health Care Corporation For Violating Hazardous Health Waste Regulations (October 2003)