Chemicals

Background

Healthcare uses a range of different chemicals to do everything from providing life-saving medications to cleaning and disinfecting floors and surface to diagnostic testing in labs - not to mention the chemicals used to formulate the myriad of supplies clinicians use every day for patient care. While many chemical compounds have beneficial uses that can improve or support health, an inadequate chemical testing and regulatory system in the United States underpins a variety of hazardous exposures to chemicals that can seriously impact health. Health care providers work every day to “first, do no harm” yet may inadvertently be affecting the health of patients, staff and the community through the selection and use of certain chemicals or products formulated with these chemicals.

What Part of Our Chronic Disease Problem Comes From Chemicals?[i]

• 1% of chronic disease[ii]
• 3% of developmental disabilities[iii]
• 5% of childhood cancer[iv]
• 10% of diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease and neurodevelopmental disabilities[v]
• 10% of children’s neurobehavioral disorders[vi]
• 30% of childhood asthma[vii]

Beyond the purchase and use of supplies and materials, healthcare also contributes to chemical exposure and other environmental impacts through emissions and disposal of wastes. Venting waste anesthetic gases directly to outside air can impact climate change, to the emission of mercury from the coal-fired power plants utilized for electricity, to the dioxins generated by medical waste incinerators to the inappropriate disposal of pharmaceuticals and hazardous wastes that end up in our water and food sources, healthcare facilities have the potential to expose those in the community and beyond to chemicals of concern. Yet with the ubiquitous use of chemicals - where does a healthcare organization begin to address problem?

Going Beyond Compliance: Choosing Safer Chemicals

The healthcare sector is recognizing that chemicals can play a significant role in the development of disease - even at miniscule levels—and is finding ways to not only increase its compliance with chemical regulations and guidelines, but also go beyond those regulations to develop a framework for choosing safer chemicals where possible. Hospitals have begun robust programs to segregate and manage pharmaceutical wastes, eliminate the use of mercury, PVC and DEHP, and brominated flame retardants, utilize greener chemicals and equipment for cleaning and maintenance processes, as well as transitioning to safer sterilants and disinfectants - to name just a few successes.  Some leading health systems have taken this one step further by developing comprehensive chemicals policies or purchasing policies that eliminate the purchase of products containing certain targeted chemicals of concern.

Practice Greenhealth provides support to healthcare facilities by:

• Determining best practices to meet environmental compliance regulations for chemicals;
• Developing programs (in collaboration with its membership) to transition away from the use of certain high risk chemicals;
• Working  closely with the healthcare supply chain to identify safer products and materials; and
• Educating the sector about recent research and science suggesting cause for concern. 

Learn more about how healthcare institutions are reducing the risk of chemical exposures at:

• Chemicals Policy Development
• Green Cleaning
• Hazardous Waste Characterization
• Integrated Pest Management
• Mercury Elimination
• Pharmaceuticals
• Sterilants and High-Level Disinfectants