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Shawnee Mission Medical Center Agrees to Pay $83,488 to Settle Allegations of Federal Hazardous Waste Violations

Release Date: 05/13/2009
Contact Information: Chris Whitley, 913-551-7394, [email protected]

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Environmental News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


(Kansas City, Kan., May 13, 2009) - A Merriam, Kan., hospital has reached a settlement with the United States over allegations that it violated various provisions of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) related to the handling and storage of hazardous wastes on its campus.

Shawnee Mission Medical Center, 9100 West 74th Street, neither admits nor denies the allegations brought by EPA Region 7, but has agreed to pay a penalty of $83,488 to the United States in settlement of the government's claims.

The hospital has also agreed to inventory all of the solid waste streams generated by its facility and provide EPA with documentation of that inventory. The hospital also will make quarterly reports to EPA for a period of one year, using photographs and documentation to show that its hazardous wastes are being properly identified, stored and disposed.

Terms of the settlement are outlined in a consent agreement and final order filed today in Kansas City, Kan. The document alleges that during a January 2007 inspection, EPA found that the hospital had:

• Failed to conduct and document weekly inspections of a hazardous waste container storage area.
• Failed to properly mark hazardous waste accumulation containers.
• Improperly treated paint and solvent hazardous wastes by allowing opened containers and solvent-soaked rags to evaporate prior to disposal, all without a necessary permit.
• Improperly disposed of solvent-soaked rags in general trash.
• Failed to properly label storage containers for used oil, and failed to properly mark universal waste batteries.