Medical-waste disposal firm fined $60,270
By Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Central O'ahu Writer
The state has fined a medical-waste disposal firm $60,270 for storing more than 10 times the permitted amount of waste, storing it improperly and for other violations.
The fine, imposed Wednesday, is against Asia Pacific Environmental Technology, doing business as Hawai'i Medical Vitrification in Campbell Industrial Park.
According to the state Health Department, from April 28, 2003, to March 12, 2004, the company stored between 9,724 pounds and 90,239 pounds of medical waste at its facility, including its outdoor parking lot. Its permit allows the company to store up to 9,000 pounds of untreated waste.
In addition, pathological waste, which includes body parts, is required to be refrigerated if it cannot be destroyed that day. The Health Department found numerous containers of unrefrigerated waste at the facility, including some containers sitting in the sun.
The company also continued to accept waste even though it exceeded its permit storage capacity and its processing system was reportedly out of service, the department said.
In addition, it failed to notify the Health Department in a timely fashion of its permit noncompliance, did not regularly test the end products of the vitrification process and did not allow inspectors to photograph an area in the facility that was potentially in violation of its permit. The company was also cited for altering or falsifying its permit.
Samuel Y.K. Liu, president and chief executive officer of Asia Pacific Environmental Technology, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
The company uses a plasma arc process to destroy waste, rendering it to a residue of glass, metal and hydrogen-rich gas that can be used as fuel. Nothing needs to go to a landfill.
The company has blamed a federal ban on imports of heat-conducting electrodes needed to disintegrate the waste and machine malfunction for its setback in compliance.
Dozens of residents attended Wednesday's Makakilo/Kapolei/ Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board meeting for an update by officials from Hawai'i Medical Vitrification and the Health Department on the status of the cleanup.
Residents raised concerns about the health risks of stockpiling medical waste and wondered when the company would be in compliance.
"We were really upset that a company can operate without following any of the laws and rules of business operation," said neighborhood board chairwoman Maeda Timson.
Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8103.
