HCWH's co-founder Gary Cohen is a recipient of the prestigious Skoll Award. This video, chronicling the evolution of HCWH's work, premiered at the 2009 Skoll World Forum. enlarge video
Mercury-Free Alternatives
A large number of scientific studies have concluded that mercury-free measuring devices produce the same degree of accuracy as mercury devices, provided they are properly maintained and calibrated.
Safety of Mercury-Free Sphygmomanometers
Healthcare providers can be confident that mercury-free alternatives are safe and reliable, with the use of mercury in sphygmomanometers legally restricted in Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
There are also regional restrictions in Austria and recommendations against use of mercury in the UK and parts of Ireland. Further examples of hospitals using mercury-free alternatives exist in France, Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic.
The Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate reported no problems with the introduction of mercury-free devices to Swedish healthcare. The British Hypertension Society lists specific devices tested and found suitable for clinical practice.
Other Uses of Mercury
Mercury is used throughout health care in a wide variety of products including dental amalgam, laboratory chemicals, preservatives such as thimerosal, cleaning agents, and various electronic devices such as fluorescent lamps and computer equipment.
Overall, these present a significant source of mercury pollution which hospitals can do a great deal to prevent by implementing phase-out strategies.
Key Resources
- EU Mercury Phase Out in Measuring and Control Equipment (pdf) Report from an EU conference held in Brussels in June 2009 focused on sphygmomanometers in healthcare. Report shows that many European countries have already moved away from mercury-based devices.
- Global Movement for Mercury-Free Health Care Report (pdf)
This report documents how hospitals all over the world, from Argentina to the Philippines, are switching from mercury devices to mercury-free alternatives. - Letter to the national experts- Input to the Working Party on Environment, 18 February 2011 – Need for strong Council conclusions on the revised Community Strategy Concerning Mercury
- Mercury Phase-out Letter, 13 Nov 2009 (pdf)
Letter to Günter Verheugen, E.U. Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry from HCWH and EEB calling for rapid phase-out of mercury-containing blood pressure devices in healthcare. - Mercury Sphygmomanometers in Healthcare and the Feasibility of Alternatives (pdf)
Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) - Toward the Tipping Point: WHO-HCWH Global Initiative to Substitute Mercury-Based Medical Devices in Health Care. A Two-Year Progress Report (pdf)
- Turning Up the Pressure: Phasing Out Mercury Sphygmomanometers for Professional Use (pdf)
European market, trends and hospital use (June 2009) - World Medical Association article: Mercury-Free Health Care (pdf)
The article on page 39 of this issue of the World Medical Journal makes the case for mercury-free healthcare.
