Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

33 U.S.C. § 2503

Prohibition

After 6 months after , no public vessel shall dispose of potentially infectious medical waste into ocean waters unless—
(1)
(A)
the health or safety of individuals on board the vessel is threatened; or
(B)
during time of war or a declared national emergency;
(2)
the waste is disposed of beyond 50 nautical miles from the nearest land; and
(3)
(A)
in the case of a public vessel which is not a submersible, the waste is sterilized, properly packaged, and sufficiently weighted to prevent the waste from coming ashore after disposal; and
(B)
in the case of a public vessel which is a submersible, the waste is properly packaged and sufficiently weighted to prevent the waste from coming ashore after disposal.

Pub. L. 100–688, title III, § 3104102 Stat. 4152(, , .)