International: Civil Society Health Sector Platform for INC 1
Health Care Without Harm – The International Council of Nurses, the World Federation of Publich Health Associations, the International Society of Doctors for the Environment and Health Care Without Harm, issued a statement calling urging delegates to the upcoming mercury treaty talks to negotiate an accord that protects public health and the environment. more

Philippines: Phasing Out of Mercury-based Health Supplies Pushed
Health Care Without Harm SE-Asia – HCWH-SEA visited Cagayan de Oro to check and update the region's compliance and heighten public awareness for Administrative Order No. 2008-0021 (AO 21) of the Department of Health. The AO 21 mandates all health care facilities, both private and public to include hospitals, infirmaries, birthing homes and health care centers in the country, to eradicate the use of mercury-containing medical paraphernalia, specifically sphygmomanometers and glass thermometers, in rendering health care services to patients. more

US: Launch of Healthier Hospitals Initiative
Health Care Without Harm US & Canada - Six leading health care systems announced today that they have formed the Healthier Hospitals Initiative to help speed the health care sector toward environmental sustainability.  more

India: Bio-medical Waste Threatening Environment
Nagaland Post – For the past few years, bio-medical waste from various hospitals, dispensaries, laboratories and other research organizations was neglected. Moreover, the situation has become worse with not a single hospital or nursing home installing facilities to dispose off the bio-waste, except for Military hospitals. Addressing this environmental hazard, Nagaland Pollution Control Board conducted a workshop which was attended by doctors, laboratory technicians and some students of Salt Christian College. more

South Africa: Government to Set Up Own Waste Sites
Times Live – Government is considering setting up its own facilities to help dispose of thousands of tons of so-called health care risk waste (HCRW) generated each year.  more

South Africa: Medical Waste discovered at Marianhill
Health24 – A recycling facility in Marianhill was shut down after medical waste was discovered there, the KwaZulu-Natal department of agriculture, environmental affairs and rural development said on Wednesday. more

Manila: Toxic Cosmetic Products Still on Sale in Manila
GMA News TV – Despite a standing ban, some cosmetic products suspected of containing mercury are still being sold in parts of Manila, an environmental group has said. After a cosmetics scandal erupted in the US last week, a local group EcoWaste Coalition said its teams conducting test-buys stumbled on the outlawed products sold in at least 18 stores in the city. more

Japan: Mercury High in Japanese Town that Hunts Dolphins
The Associated Press – Residents of Taiji have dangerously high mercury levels, likely because of their fondness for dolphin and whale meat, a government lab said Sunday. The levels of mercury detected in Taiji residents were above the national average, but follow-up tests have found no ill effects, according to the National Institute for Minamata Disease. more

International: The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard
WHO – This document sets out a classification system to distinguish between the more and the less hazardous forms of selected pesticides based on acute risk to human health (that is the risk of single or multiple exposures over a relatively short period of time). It takes into consideration the toxicity of the technical active substance and also describes methods for the classification of formulations. more

UK: Control, Not Climate Change, Key to Malaria
The Times of India – A study published today casts doubt on the widely held notion that warming global temperatures will lead to a future intensification of malaria and an expansion of its global range. The research, conducted by the Malaria Atlas Project suggests that current interventions could have a far more dramatic - and positive - effect on reducing the spread of malaria than any negative effects caused by climate change.  more

UK: Cutting Down on Meat is Good for the Planet
Illford Recorder – An authority on climate change suggested a vegetarian diet is good for combating climate change as it generates significantly less greenhouse gases, one of the causes of climate change. According to a UN report, 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions that are the cause of climate change come from the meat and dairy industry; that compares with a total of 16 per cent from all forms of transport, including aviation.  more

Costa Rica: Electronic Waste Threatens Water, Fish and the Country�s Health
The Costa Rica News – The aquifers, fish and people of Costa Rica are exposed to contamination by heavy metals released by technological garbage. David Benavides, coordinator of the technical module of the Sustainable Field Program at Universidad Nacional (UNA), warned that these metals can reach aquifers. Also, in high amounts, these substances can cause nausea, vomiting, respiratory problems and effects on the skin. In addition, some are associated with cancers. more

International: A special report on water "For Want of a Drink"
The Economist – This report discusses how water is scarce in many places, and will grow scarcer. It also debates how bringing supply and demand into equilibrium will be painful, and political disputes may increase in number and intensify in their capacity to cause trouble.  more

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