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EPA New England plans to increase healthcare facility enforcement

Hospital Safety Connection, October 15, 2004

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The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) New England office plans to beef up enforcement of healthcare facilities after concerns arose about possible environment violations in the area, the Mondaq reported.

Earlier this year, the EPA discovered several violations at New York and New Jersey hospitals. With over 300 healthcare facilities in New England, the health impacts and violations could be significant, the EPA stated, noting that these hospitals use a wide range of toxic chemicals, generate a lot of waste, and consume large amounts of energy and water. The EPA has already identified healthcare facilities that may cause environmental violations, including toxic chemical use and waste management. The EPA also identified several other areas of potential noncompliance, like storm water discharges from construction sites, asbestos, air pollution, and wastewater discharges.

EPA New England established the Healthcare Assistance Program to help provide compliance assistance to healthcare facilities. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/region01/healthcare/index.html.

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