Law Signed Requiring Lockboxes for Specimens
BURBANK — A bill requiring biological specimens to be placed in lockboxes when left outside of medical facilities has been signed into law, an official said Tuesday.
SB 765, which Gov. Gray Davis signed last week, was introduced after four boys broke into unsecured metal laboratory boxes left for pickup outside a Burbank medical clinic last February and played with blood, urine and other biological specimens.
“I think medical professionals would agree that leaving these specimens unlocked, in a public place, poses a potential danger,” said state Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the bill’s sponsor. “This legislation will help ensure that children are not tempted and inadvertently exposed to these specimens.”
Under the new law, biological specimens must be placed in locked containers any time they are left outside for pickup.
The law also requires containers to be marked “Caution: Biohazardous Material--Please Do Not Handle Or Touch.”
Violators could face fines of up to $1,000.
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