The central government has tightened laws on hospital wastewater disposal to prevent the spread of diseases like SARS, said sources with the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) Thursday.

In technical guidelines for the disposal of hospital sewage, the SEPA passed detailed regulations on the quantity, discharge criteria and disposal systems of hospital sewage.

Under the guidelines, wastewater from areas with patients should be discharged separately to waste water from areas without patients, and hospital waste should not be discharged randomly with the sewage.

Waste material and gas produced during disposal should be collected and burned in line with the requirements for medical waste, in a bid to prevent further contamination.

Teng Jing, an official with the Science, Technology and Standards Department of the SEPA, said the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) last year exposed deficiencies in hospital disposal systems.

The guidelines would help reduce environmental contamination, Teng said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2004)