Toxic Materials: Global Overview

Health care institutions, like institutions outside the health care sector, regularly use a suprising number of highly toxic materials. These toxins affect patients, hospital staff, hospital visitors, and the environment.

Many of these toxins are defined and regulated by national, state or provincial, and local laws. Others are used daily but hardly regulated at all. They include carcinogens, materials that damage the skin and organs, and materials that corrode, irritate, or release other toxins in the course of normal use, storage, transportation or disposal.

Toxins with an especially heavy impact in the health care sector may be found in:

• Cleaners and disinfectants
• Dioxin-containing byproducts
• Electronic equipment
• Flame retardants
• Fragrance chemicals
• Mercury-containing medical devices and wastes
• Pesticides
• Phthalates and DEHP
• PVC

For detailed information on this topic, in addition to tools and resources, select your region of the world from the links at the top of this page.