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Community Health Improvement Through Environmental Health

by Hollie Shaner

Q: What are a few things I can do to reduce pollution associated with healthcare at my I workplace?

There are many things you can do:

• Encourage your organization to phase out the use of mercury and mercury based products. This might include switching to aneroid sphygmomanometers, digital thermometers, and digital monitoring equipment. Proper disposal of mercury and mercury products is essential to protect worker health and the environment.
• Isolate potentially hazardous wastes from regular trash and red bag/biohazard wastes. Items such as batteries and mercury from broken thermometers should be kept separate and discarded as hazardous waste. If your facility is small, contact your county waste authority to see if they offer any assistance for small businesses. Some communities have a hazardous waste collection program, or have special days when batteries, fluorescent light fixtures, mercury waste and other hazardous items can be discarded. Every soiled utility area and at least every department should have a "battery waste" collection container plainly labeled and readily accessible so that batteries can be properly disposed of either as recyclable or hazardous waste (depending on type of battery) and most importantly, kept out of the "incinerator-bound" waste stream.
• Make sure that your organization uses Cadmium-free red bags and sharps containers. Cadmium is a heavy metal and a know carcinogen. When cadmium containing red bags and sharps containers are incinerated, cadmium is emitted into the air.
• Carpool to work whenever possible. For every mile not driven, a pound of air pollution is not created. Air pollution is responsible for an increasing number of respiratory ailments. CO, NO2, S02, ozone and particulates are a few of the pollutants associated with poor respiratory health.

If you need further information or technical assistance, please contact us here at CGH Environmental Strategies, Inc: cghenviro@aol.com.. Additionally, she would welcome your questions to answer in future editions of the Vermont Registered Nurse.

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