[Pharmwaste] Autoclave info ("industrial sized")

[Gilliam, Allen]

Sorry for the various listserves' crossposting but, I thought there was
some other folks "out there" that were interested in this process way
back when.

Thanx to Catherine Z. for her great memory regarding interest in mercury
being found in autoclaves' condensate, etc.  Find below some info she
(via Bob Nordquist) recently shared:
***************************************
Bob Nordquist w/ MCES, Industrial Waste & Pollution Prevention Section
wrote:

Catherine,
Our local limit of 2 ppb for mercury is a total facility limit, which
includes all industrial and domestic waste streams from a facility.
Sampling is not generally required from contributory waste streams
unless the waste stream is regulated directly at the source by an EPA
Categorical Standard.  In the case of ["company x"], however, they were
required to install a mercury treatment system because of total facility
mercury violations.  At this time they did some limited sampling of
contributory waste streams to aid in designing the treatment system.
This isn't much, but it's the only data we have on this.  This is from
the autoclave process.  The volumes are per cycle, the mercury
concentration is without treatment:

 Condenser 1,530 gallons,  Hg - 14.3 ug/l 
 Vacuum pump 84 gallons,   Hg - 19.1 ug/l 
 Compactor 17 gallons,   Hg - 9.67 ug/l 
 Tub/Sharps washer 240 gallons,  Hg - 0 ug/l
 Condensate 69 gallons,  Hg - 21.1 ug/l

 The treatment system they installed has generally kept them in
compliance with the 2 ug/l local limit.  The only exceptions have been
due to a physical issue where one waste stream was by-passing the
treatment system.  Once this was corrected they returned to compliance.
********************************
 
Don't know how many of these units of varying designs are "out there"
but, know they are located throughout this region.  TX, LA and TN have
'em for a short, "known" list.  The one being installed here in arkie
holler is a 6' diameter X 19' long unit and will be running almost 24/7.
the small non-pretreatment city's avg treatment plant flow is around
0.01 mgd so recommendations will be given for them to ask "company x" to
sample/analyze for at least Hg before discharge.

DEHP and acetone being present was also mentioned by an autoclave
"expert".

Just fyi for whoever else asked for additional info,

allen gilliam
adeq state pretreatment coordinator