§ 1389-aa. Definitions. 1. "Regulated medical waste" shall mean any
of the following waste which is generated in the diagnosis, treatment or
immunization of human beings or animals, in research pertaining thereto,
or in production and testing of biologicals, provided, however, that
"regulated medical waste" shall not include any hazardous waste
identified or listed pursuant to section 27-0903 of the environmental
conservation law, or any household waste as defined in regulations
promulgated under such section.

(a) Cultures and stocks. This waste shall include cultures and stocks
of agents infectious to humans, and associated biologicals, cultures
from medical or pathological laboratories, cultures and stocks of
infectious agents from research and industrial laboratories, wastes from
the production of biologicals, discarded live or attenuated vaccines, or
culture dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate or mix cultures.

(b) Human pathological wastes. This waste shall include tissue,
organs, and body parts (except teeth and the contiguous structures of
bone and gum), body fluids that are removed during surgery, autopsy, or
other medical procedures, or specimens of body fluids and their
containers, and discarded material saturated with such body fluids other
than urine, provided that the commissioner, by duly promulgated
regulation, may exclude such discarded material saturated with body
fluids from this definition if the commissioner finds that it does not
pose a significant risk to public health. This waste shall not include
urine or fecal materials submitted for other than diagnosis of
infectious diseases.

(c) Human blood and blood products. This waste shall include: (i)
discarded waste human blood, discarded blood components (e.g. serum and
plasma) containers with free flowing blood or blood components or
discarded saturated material containing free flowing blood or blood
components; and (ii) materials saturated with blood or blood products
provided that the commissioner, by duly promulgated regulation, may
exclude such material saturated with blood or blood products from this
definition if the commissioner finds that it does not pose a significant
risk to public health.

(d) Sharps. This waste shall include but not be limited to discarded
unused sharps and sharps used in animal or human patient care, medical
research, or clinical or pharmaceutical laboratories, hypodermic,
intravenous, or other medical needles, hypodermic or intravenous
syringes to which a needle or other sharp is still attached, Pasteur
pipettes, scalpel blades, or blood vials. This waste shall include, but
not be limited to, other types of broken or unbroken glass (including
slides and cover slips) in contact with infectious agents. This waste
shall not include those parts of syringes from which sharps are
specifically designed to be easily removed and from which sharps have
actually been removed, and which are intended for recycling or other
disposal, so long as such syringes have not come in contact with
infectious agents.

(e) Animal waste. This waste shall mean discarded materials, including
carcasses, body parts, body fluids, blood, or bedding originating from
animals known to be contaminated with infectious agents or from animals
inoculated during research, production of biologicals, or pharmaceutical
testing with infectious agents.

(f) Any other waste material containing infectious agents designated
by the commissioner as regulated medical waste.

2. "Storage" shall mean the containment of regulated medical waste in
such a manner as not to constitute disposal of such waste.

3. "Transport" shall mean the movement of regulated medical waste from
the point of generation to any intermediate points and finally to the
point of ultimate disposal.

4. "Treatment" shall mean any method, technique or process designed to
change the character or composition of any regulated medical waste so as
to either neutralize such waste or to render such waste not infectious
as approved by the commissioner pursuant to section thirteen hundred
eighty-nine-dd of this title.

5. "Infectious agents" shall mean any organisms that cause disease or
an adverse health impact to humans, except that the commissioner may
prescribe by regulation additional infectious agents as may be necessary
to protect human health and the environment.