Mercury-free pharmaceuticals and products
- Pharmaceuticals containing mercury
- Mercury-free products under contract with Premier
- Other sites providing information on mercury-free products
Pharmaceuticals containing mercury
The EPA and AHA entered into a voluntary partnership, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), in June of 1998 with the agreement to "virtually eliminate" all mercury-containing waste from hospitals by 2005. As part of this MOU, tools and resources for mercury elimination were made available through Hospitals for a Health Environment (H2E), now incorporated into Practice Greenhealth. (PGH) and remain available from PGH.
Premier supports efforts related to the identification and use of environmentally preferable products and packaging that are less toxic, minimize pollution, more energy efficient, and safer and healthier for patients, workers, and the environment. Premier also supports efforts to identify alternatives to products that contain mercury, consistent with the AHA/EPA MOU.
Premier members may download a mercury-free pharmaceuticals list from contracted suppliers. Updated list coming soon.
Mercury-free products under contract with Premier
Download an updated
list of selected mercury-free products
Other sites providing information on mercury-free products
Mercury Management Guidebook 1999
(Massachusetts-MASCO)
Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc. (MASCO) and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) formed the MWRA/MASCO Mercury Work Group to 1) identify sources of mercury contamination and develop recommendations for their control; 2) develop guidelines for the removal of residual mercury from wastewater systems; and 3) identify and evaluate potential mercury pretreatment systems. The guidebook contains valuable case studies from hospital pathology and clinical laboratories. Go to "Mercury workgroup" at:
Sustainable Hospitals Project
University of Massachusetts at Lowell
This sustainable project provides technical support to the healthcare industry for selecting products and work practices that eliminate or reduce occupational and environmental hazards, maintain quality patient care, and contain costs. This includes determining alternative products by category (for example, batteries), by manufacturer, by hazard (mercury) or by product name. Additional features includes a clearinghouse function, action steps for environmentally preferable purchasing, and fact sheets.
http://www.sustainablehospitals.org
Mercury in the Environment The Waste Connections
List of Mercury Containing Items
This site supported by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists products commonly found in hospital settings that may contain mercury.
http://www.noharm.org/details.cfm?ID=582&type=document (.pdf) (85 KB)