January 10, 2003—Medical waste incinerators at hospitals in Ontario, Canada will have to shut down by Dec. 6, 2003, under regulations that the province adopted last month.
The provincial government introduced the plan in December 2001 and finalized the measure on Dec. 20, 2002. Twenty-eight hospital incinerators are operating in Ontario, according to the government. Most hospitals already have closed their incinerators.
“This regulation will help improve Ontarios air quality,” said Chris Stockwell, Ontario environment minister. “Hospital incinerators are the fourth-largest emission source of mercury in the province and the largest emission source of dioxins.”
Phasing out incinerators should save hospitals money in the long run because of Canadas new nationwide limits on mercury and dioxin emissions, which would require major upgrades to bring outdated incinerators into compliance, Stockwell said.
The measure will ensure that hospitals use disposal technologies that offer greater environmental protection, according to the Environment Ministry.
