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Spring 2002 Circulate to: ____ Safety
____ Infection Control ____ Plant Operations ____ Support Services
____ Other HCA
Phasing Out Mercury HCA, Inc., the
nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, has agreed to phase out its
mercury-containing medical devices, signaling a major step forward for the
growing movement within the health care industry to stop mercury pollution at
its source. “We
commend HCA for removing a significant source of mercury to the environment, and
we urge other health care companies to follow suit,” said Charlotte Brody, RN,
director of Health Care Without Harm, an international campaign for
environmentally responsible health care representing 350 groups in 38 countries. HCA, Inc. has already
stopped purchasing mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers. The
company joins other leading health systems, including Mayo Clinic and the
National Institutes of Health clinical facilities, in ending use of those
products. Nearly 700 hospitals nationwide have committed to phase out use of
mercury thermometers, and several states and major cities have banned their sale
or restricted their use. Legislation is also pending for a national sales ban on
mercury thermometers. “The writing is on
the wall for mercury-containing devices. The market for mercury products is
drying up and manufacturers and distributors of those products should switch to
safer materials immediately. Since many hospitals are demanding mercury-free
alternatives, the time is also right for their purchasing agents to stop buying
mercury-containing products,” said Jamie Harvie, mercury workgroup leader for
Health Care Without Harm. “Other major health
care companies, including HEALTHSOUTH, Manor Care, Tenet and Cardinal need to
take HCA's actions as a cue to disclose their own commitments to reducing
mercury pollution," Harvie said. (cont. next column) HCA said it will
phase out mercury-containing medical devices by Jan 1, 2005, and will evaluate
reducing other significant sources of mercury. The decision was spurred by
discussions with Boston-based Walden Asset Management, a socially responsive
investment firm. HCA operates 196 hospitals and 78 freestanding surgery centers
in 24 U.S. states, England and Switzerland; and also operates preferred provider
organizations in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Mercury is a potent
neurotoxin that can affect the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver. At least
41 states have advisories restricting fish consumption due to mercury
contamination. In 2001, the Centers for Disease Control found that 10 percent of
reproductive-age American women already carry so much mercury in their blood
that if they got pregnant it could pose a threat of neurological damage to the
fetus. For more information about what you can do to stop mercury pollution at
its source, visit www.noharm.org. Needlestick Safety
Alliance Creates New Safety Device List Online The National Alliance
for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI) has announced the
creation of new, comprehensive list of needlestick-safety devices. NAPPSI’s
compilation draws upon the popular list created by the Exposure Prevention
Information Network (ESPINet) at the International Healthcare Worker Safety
Center of the University of Virginia. While the ESPINet list categorized devices
by their medical application, the NAPPSI list categorizes devices within each
medical application by whether they offer primary or secondary prevention
against dangerous needlesticks. For more information, visit
www.nappsi.org. Answers to Key
Questions These are the
questions and the answers from the OHA
Environmental Leadership Council regarding what would make there P2 efforts
easier. The answers are ranked from most important to least important. 1.
What do hospitals need to help them eliminate mercury, prevent pollution
and improve EPA regulatory compliance? ·
Management Buy-in ·
Increase Awareness and Education ·
Senior Champion ·
Networking Opportunities 2.
What are the obstacles to hospitals accomplishing
the above goals? ·
Resources: Cost, Time, Staff, Hospital Priorities ·
Lack of Expertise/Need for Education ·
Leadership Commitment ·
Sustainability ·
Passion for Environmental Issues ·
Change ·
Lack of Environmental Contract Language ·
Building Code 3.
How can the council Help Hospitals Achieve the
above
goals? ·
Target Hospital CEO on Marketing ·
Help Hospitals Education Management—E.G. Generic policies ·
Web site with Case Studies—E.G. Success Stories and Regulatory
Compliance, Bulletin Board ·
Favorable Public Relations for Participants ·
Newsletter with Success Stories ·
Educational Program ·
Educational Materials—E.G. CD, Videos Ohio’s
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a report saying that Ohio’s
air pollutants have dropped substantially in in the past 20 years, and continue
to improve.
Six pollutants which
the U.S. EPA has established national air quality standards were analyzed. The
report monitored data collected between 1981 and 2000. The pollutants included
carbon monoxide, lead, ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate
matter. The monitoring was conducted at more than 200 locations around the
state.
Ohio EPA recently
revised its draft rules to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 114,000 tons
annually, beginning in 2004. The plan has been submitted to the U.S. EPA, and
issued for interest party comment. The draft rules provide incentive programs
such as early reduction credits. Findings in the
report include: *Sites monitored for
sulfur dioxide levels have shown an average drop of 52 percent in the past 20
years, a two percent improvement over 1980-1999 trend. *Sites monitored for
second-high ozone levels in Ohio have been reduced by an average of 13 percent
during the 1981-2000 period, a one percent improvement over the 1980-1998
period. *Sites monitored for
carbon monoxide levels show an average reduction of more than 61 percent since
1981. *Particulates 10
microns in diameter or smaller decreased by 22 percent from 1989-2000. Fine
particulate matter data. 2.5 microns, was not included in this report since
monitoring began in 1999. There is
not enough information to track a meaningful trend.
Credit from Hannah
News Service (2/25/02) and OEPA. 2002 OHA Annual Meeting This year OHA’s
annual meeting will be June 3 and June 4 at the Columbus Convention Center. The
Environment of Care Track will be held on Monday, June 3.
The first session
will cover current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulatory and
enforcement initiatives affecting hospitals, including handling the EPA
inspection, managing compliance, responding to notices of violation, and the
anatomy of an enforcement case. The speaker will be Charles Waterman, III,
Partner, Bricker & Eckler.
The second session
will be a panel from OHA Environmental Leadership Council who will share many
ideas to help hospitals prevent pollution. There will be success stories from
Ohio hospitals focusing on the mercury Challenge and community thermometer
exchanges.
The third session is
developing a pollution prevention plan, reducing waste stream volume and
expense. Hollie Shaner, R.N., M.S.A. ,and Glenn McRae from CGH Environmental
Strategies, Inc. will share many ideas to help hospitals prevent pollution,
manage waste streams more effectively, eliminate mercury from the hospital waste
stream, and reduce waste stream volume and expense.
The final session of
the day will be Hospital renovation and construction activities and their
effects on indoor air quality. Demolition,
renovation and construction activities can adversely impact the health of
building occupants in a hospital/medical environment. During these activities,
building occupants may be exposed to contaminants with potential acute and
chronic adverse health effects. For more information
or to register please contact the Center for Education at (614) 221-7614.
Comments
Requested on Infection Waste Incinerator Rules There will be a
public hearing Monday, May 20, at 10 a.m. to accept comments on infection waste
incinerator rules. The hearing will be held at the Ohio EPA, Lazarus Government
Center 122 South Front Street, Conference room 5A, Columbus. Written comments
should be submitted by the close of business on April 29. The most significant
change to the infectious waste incinerator rules is a requirement to preheat the
primary chamber of all incinerator units. This may require some facilities to
install mechanical feeding equipment for waste to prevent operator hazard. The
rules would be expanded to apply to hospitals that burn only non-infectious,
non-medical waste. Units that burn mostly pathological waste will be eligible
for exception from most requirements except record keeping. Recycling
and P2 Actions This is a list of
current projects at East Liverpool City Hospital. A big thank you for their
efforts.
Call for
Nominations for the 2002 OHA You are invited to
submit a nomination if your CEO has made noteworthy contributions in supporting
your hospital’s effort to prevent pollution. Nomination
process: ·
The name of the CEO whom you are nominating for the award. ·
Your name, title, hospital, phone number and e-mail address. ·
A maximum 2 pages of typed, double-spaced information explaining and
supporting your nomination. Your
nomination should describe and give examples of the CEO’s initiation or
support of hospital activities or programs intended to prevent pollution, reduce
waste-stream volume, or eliminate mercury from the hospital. Nominations
should be returned to: Or
by Fax to: 614/221-4771 Selection
of the award recipients will be made by the OHA Environmental Leadership OHA EnviroNews Editors: Rick Sites, OHA
(ricks@ohanet.org) |
