Health leaders call for urgent action on climate

International health leaders in Durban for the global climate talks have called on negotiators to push for the most ambitious commitments possible, warning that the direction of current negotiations risks the lives of billions of people around the globe. more 

HCWH Intervention at Mercury Treaty Negotiations

HCWH, represented by partner organizations from Mexico, India, Indonesia, South Africa and the United States, is participating in round three of the mercury treaty negotiations, currently underway in Nairobi, Kenya. more 

New Training Video on Mercury Waste in Hospitals

HCWH has released a video meant to be part of training program for hospitals around the world aiming to eliminate mercury and safely manage and store mercury waste while governments search for a more permanent solution. more 

Shun the use of mercury-based instruments, advocates PPCB

Excerpt: "The Punjab Pollution Control Board in association with the Indian Medical Association and Toxics Link, New Delhi, organised a workshop on the hazards of mercury at Dumra Auditorium, Dayanad Medical College here today. It stressed the need for replacing mercury-equipped instruments with aneroid-based instrument."  more 

Dr. Paul Epstein, Climate and Health Leader, Is Dead at 67

Excerpt: "Dr. Paul Epstein, a public health expert who was among the first to warn of a link between the spread of infectious disease and extreme weather events, adding a new dimension to research into the potential impact of global climate change, died on Sunday at his home in Boston. He was 67."  more 

Pollutants Linked to 450 Percent Increase in Risk of Birth Defects in Rural China

Excerpt: "Two of the pesticides found in high concentrations in the placentas of affected newborns and stillborn fetuses were endosulfan and lindane."  more 

WHO-HCWH Mercury-Free Update for INC3

WHO and HCWH have produced an update on the Global Mercury-Free Healthcare Initiative that charts progress toward the goal of virtual elimination and substitution of mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices around the world by 2017. more 

WHO Releases Technical Guidance on Substituting Mercury Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers

WHO has issued a Technical Guidance Document for the safe substitution of non-mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers in health-care settings. more 

Mercury Elimination Guides for Hospitals

In order to scale-up the replacement of mercury–based medical devices around the world, HCWH has put together a guide that systematizes the basic steps in mercury substitution. more