Company fined for
medical-waste violations
The state Department of Health has cited and fined a medical waste treatment company for storing excessive amounts of infectious waste at its facility in Kapolei, officials said yesterday.
Asia Pacific Environmental Technology, which does business as Hawaii Medical Vitrification, was ordered to pay $60,270, the Health Department said in a news release.
Health officials said the company, known as HMV, stored excessive amounts of infectious waste, continued to accept waste while equipment was out of service, failed to adequately test products and procedures, and violated state laws regarding permitting and inspection.
HMV officials did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
The company treats medical waste using vitrification, a process that uses extreme heat to disintegrate waste and turn the resulting molecular remnants into usable byproducts, such as glass.
Records show between April 28, 2003, and March 12, HMV stored between 9,724 pounds and 90,239 pounds of untreated infectious medical waste, exceeding its permitted storage capacity of 9,000 pounds, the Health Department said.
Between May and December 2003, HMV also continued to accept waste even though its storage capacity was exceeded and its processing system was out of service.
HMV has 20 days to respond or challenge the citation and fine.