Late 1999 saw the publication of Safe Disposal of Clinical Waste by The Services Advisory Committee of The Health & Safety Commission (HSE Books 1999), a long awaited revision of the 1992 publication. The new document however does not deal solely with health & safety issues but also covers risks to the environment, having been produced jointly by Health Services Advisory Committee (HSAC) and The Environment Agency (EA) and agreed by The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). In expanding and revising the previous publication, it also replaces Waste Management Paper Number 25 'Clinical Waste' issued by the Department of the Environment in 1983 which gave guidance on environmental aspects of handling these types of waste.