Health Care Without Harm - Mercury

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Mercury Resources

HCWH Publications
Other Resources
Links
Recent News on Mercury

HCWH Publications

Going Green Factsheets
The Mercury Problem - Fast Facts (pdf), 2-1
Making Medicine Mercury Free (pdf), 2-2
List of Mercury-Containing Items in a Hospital Setting (pdf), 2-3
Thermometer Fact Sheet (pdf), 2-4
How to Plan and Hold a Mercury Fever Thermometer Exchange (pdf), 2-5
Battery Roundups: Get Charged! (pdf), 2-6
A New Era: The Elimination of Mercury Sphygmomanometers (pdf), 2-9
Fluorescent Lamp Recycling - 10 Steps to a Successful Program (pdf), 2-10

Brochures & Reports

Mercury Thermometers and Your Family's Health, HCWH, 2000:
     English (pdf)
     Canadian (pdf)
     Spanish (pdf)
     Portuguese (pdf)
     Haitian (pdf)
     Vietnamese (pdf)
Protecting by Degrees: What Hospitals Can Do to Reduce Mercury Pollution (pdf), Environmental Working Group and HCWH, 1999
Mercury Elimination White Paper (pdf), from Setting Healthcare's Environmental Agenda Proceedings, HCWH, October 2000

Other Resources

Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E)
The H2E website contains numerous tools and resources to help health care facilities reduce their mercury use. H2E also offers national recognition to hospitals that have gone virtually mercury-free. H2E is a partnership of Health Care Without Harm, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Hospitals Association and the American Nurses Association. A recent survey by the American Hospital Association and H2E reveals a major health care industry trend toward safer mercury-free alternatives. Read the survey report. (pdf)
Mercury Virtual Elimination Plan (pdf)
Developed by H2E, this is a comprehensive guide that can help your facility assess existing mercury sources, develop action plans to eliminate those sources, and set up an environmentally preferable purchasing plan that will keep your facility mercury-free.
Mercury: Your Environment, Your Food, Your Health (pdf), Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles, July 2001. This brochure is also available in: Cambodian (pdf), Chinese (pdf), Korean (pdf), Spanish (pdf) and Thai (pdf).
Eliminating Mercury Use in Hospital Laboratories: A Step toward Zero Discharge (doc), Jamie Harvie, HCWH, in Public Health Reports, July/August 1999 (doc)
Technical Report: Mercury in the Environment: Implications for Pediatricians (RE109907), American Academy of Pediatrics
How Mercury Causes Brain Neuron Degeneration, University of Calgary
Indiana Department of Environmental Management: Factsheet on Mercury Thermometers
Mercury in Medical Waste: Keeping Mercury Out of Medical Waste
Mercury Use Reduction & Waste Prevention in Medical Facilities
Educational software for the Web by USEPA Region 5 and Purdue University
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance: Mercury for Health Professionals
University of Massachusetts Lowell- Sustainable Hospitals Clearinghouse: Alternatives to mercury-containing products
US EPA: Mercury in the Environment- the Waste Connection
The Wisconsin Mercury Sourcebook (pdf)
Includes a problem statement, alternative products, pharmaceutical use, batteries, lamps, and spills.
Mercury Pollution Prevention in Healthcare, National Wildlife Federation, July 1997
Reducing Mercury in Healthcare, Promoting a Healthier Environment Monroe County, New York
This "How To" manual is the basis for the H2E "Mercury Virtual Elimination Plan."
Mercury Use Reduction and Waste Prevention in Medical Facilities , Purdue University and U.S. EPA
Frequently Asked Questions about Mercury
A Web-based FAQ resource developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Mercury P2 Tools
Developed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and EPA.
Burlington Board of Health Mercury Recovery Program
Comprehensive site that includes training outlines on mercury management.
Guide for Identifying Mercury in Medical Offices (doc)
Guide For Identifying Common Products That Contain Mercury (doc)

Links

Mercury-Free Health Care
Health Care Without Harm has launched this website with a global focus on mercury elimination.
The Mercury Policy Project
The Mercury Policy Project (MPP) works to promote policies to eliminate mercury uses, reduce the export and trafficking of mercury, and significantly reduce mercury exposures at the local, national, and international levels.
NIH Mercury Reduction Mad as a Hatter Campaign
A Web-based, technical resource for mercury information.
The National Wildlife Federation Clean the Rain Campaign
NWF has initiated the Clean the Rain Campaign to clean up the toxic air pollution that is contaminating our lakes and streams and to protect the people and wildlife who depend on them. The campaign mobilizes citizen efforts to reform government policies and industry behavior.
The Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA)
NEWMOA is a nonprofit established to help states articulate, promote and implement economically sound regional programs for the enhancement of environmental protection.
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is a coalition of member groups dedicated to minimizing the adverse environmental and human health impact of Canada's health care system.
Great Lakes United
Great Lakes United, an international coalition dedicated to protecting and restoring the Great Lakes - St. Lawrence River ecosystem, is actively involved in the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy and a mercury in cars campaign.
Mercury in Schools
Information about mercury in schools and communities, resources for educators.
The MASCO Mercury Database
The Massachusetts Medical, Academic, and Scientific Community Organization (MASCO) is a joint project of the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance for Toxics Use Reduction, the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority and Harvard University.