Medical waste management. Regulatory issues and current legal requirements.

The effective management of medical wastes poses a broad range of complex, unresolved questions. Definitions for "medical waste" and "infectious waste" must be clarified. Although news media coverage has drawn attention to aesthetic problems raised when medical wastes wash up on beaches, the possibility of significant health and environmental risks presented by such wastes must not be neglected. Many states have passed laws regulating various parts of the medical waste management process. A major new federal law, the Medical Waste Tracking Act of 1988, also has been enacted. Extensive research must be undertaken to seal existing gaps in knowledge affecting medical waste management. The public and generators of medical wastes must be educated about attendant issues and legal requirements. As further research is pursued, regulatory programs should be developed based on the best available data.