The State Environmental Protection Administration has issued two circulars urging its local branches to control the disposal of medical wastes of those hospitals that treat atypical pneumonia patients so that there will not be secondary pollution. All local environmental administrations have taken active actions to assist health departments.

It is of great importance to safely treat medical wastes in Beijing. The Beijing Environmental Protection Administration has formed a special leading group in charge of SARS control. It sees to it that those hospitals that have wastewater disposal facilities will receive atypical pneumonia patients and those that have not yet had such facilities will have to be equipped immediately. It will also see to it that all such facilities will operate normally and discharge pollutants up to the state-prescribed standards.

The disposal of medical wastes will be strictly monitored to ensure that it will not be mixed with general urban garbage. Medical wastes will be incinerated in a closed fashion. The counties and districts will establish an emergent monitoring and control contingent charged with emergent plans.

In face of this sudden outbreak of the SARS, some of the Beijing hospitals find themselves insufficient in medical waste disposal capabilities and a shortage of protective garments, gloves and ultra-violet lamps. The Tianjin Environmental Protection Administration sent its Beijing counterpart what it needed. The committee of solid waste disposal of the China environmental protection industry association helped Beijing get a number of medical waste incinerators from Nanjing. Six such incinerators have already been put into use. Similar assistance comes from Hainan, Henan, Nanjing, Changchun and Hanzhou.

(www.cenews.com.cn May 14, 2003)