Mercury reduction policies are among the most common environmental commitments in health care. Mercury is toxic to human health, posing a particular threat to the development of the child. To target mercury reduction and elimination as a goal, hospitals and health systems first need to assess where mercury is found within their facilities, which might include:
- Clinical devices, such as thermometers, sphygmomanometers, esophageal bougies and dilators, certain tubing, and dental amalgam
- Facility equipment, such as switches, relays, thermostats, fluorescent lamps and light bulbs, and batteries
- Lab fixatives and stains for epidemiology and histopathology
- Pharmaceuticals
Mercury elimination goal
Achieve mercury-free status or develop and implement mercury elimination plan.
Many of our member hospitals have made eliminating mercury from clinical devices a top priority and have worked to win the Making Medicine Mercury Free Award, established standalone mercury-free purchasing policies, or included mercury-free as part of a larger institutional safer chemicals policy. In addition, a waste stream audit can identify which mercury-containing devices can be recycled and managed as universal waste, reducing the amount of costly hazardous waste disposal needed.
Practice Greenhealth offers step-by-step resources that will make it simpler for any hospital with a mercury elimination goal to design, implement, and measure the success of their efforts.
