Philippines: Asia Regional Conference on Mercury-Free Health Care
HCWH – Officials from Ministries of Health and Environment, hospital managers and representatives of national health care professional associations from ten Asian countries are gathering this week in Manila to discuss substituting mercury-based medical devices with safe, accurate, affordable alternatives throughout the region.  more

Bangalore: Ensure Scientific Disposal of Bio-medical Waste
Times of India – Taking note of the alarming trend of mixing hazardous bio-medical waste along with rubbish, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has initiated measures to issue medical licences to only those health centres that comply with the norms of the city corporation. more

Israel: Conference Addresses Growing Issue of Medical Waste
Jerusalem Post – The intersection of health and environment was the subject of a conference in Tel Aviv. The conference for medical professionals focused on treatment of medical waste and the connections between health and environment. Two of the major highlights of the conference were the issues of air pollution and the treatment of medical waste. more

Philippines: Local Celebs Lobby for Mercury-free Health Care
HCWH – Seven of the country’s more prominent personalities join forces in an ad campaign that advocates the phase-out of mercury in health care facilities and, eventually, the importation ban on mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers. The ad dubbed as "Artists unite for mercury phase-out in health care," is being carried out by Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) and is simultaneously being released in other Asian countries. more

Malaysia: Ban on BPA Milk Bottles
Malaysia Online – Polycarbonate infant milk bottles containing the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) will be outlawed from March 1 next year. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Cabinet had decided to ban such milk bottles due to BPA’s risk to infant hormone systems. more

US: EPA Proposes First National Standard for Mercury Pollution from Power Plants
Epa.gov – EPA is taking steps to protect public health and ensure a cleaner environment by issuing a proposed rule that would reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants from new and existing coal and oil-fired power plants. Power plants are the largest source of several harmful pollutants. more

US: Climate Change Linked to Longer Allergy Season
Daily Collegian – A new study published in Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences suggest ragweed season is ending up to a month later and can be a result of higher temperatures in northern latitudes and the delay of frosts.  more

Pakistan: E-waste Threatens Region’s Environment and Health
The News Pakistan – E-waste is a major reason behind conversion of highly fertile agricultural land to barren at large scale, said Atal Baqai, UN’s Regional Coordinator Environment Programme. Not only E-waste, used laptops and desktops are also polluting the environment which is incredibly damaging the nature and human health. China, Pakistan and India are the mega markets where E-waste is buried at a large. more

US: Health Care Without Harm and Practice Green Health Host CleanMed 2011, Phoenix
HCWH – CleanMed 2011, the most important conference on sustainable health care, will be held on April 6-8 in Phoenix, AZ. More than 40 sessions on green health care building, sustainability leadership, green purchasing, waste reduction and other topics related to sustainable operations will be presented. more

Notice: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for research and educational purposes. Online articles and links might expire days after their release date.