Issues

MERCURY

Mercury is a highly toxic element that can be found naturally or as an introduced contaminant in environment. Although its potential for toxicity in highly contaminated areas, research has shown that mercury can be a threat to people health and wildlife in many environments that are not seriously polluted. The risk is determined by likelihood of exposure, the form of mercury present, geochemical and ecological factors  that influenced how mercury moves and changes in the environment.                           

      The toxic effects of mercury depend on its chemical form and the route of exposure. Methylmercury [CH3Hg] is the most toxic form. It affects the immune system, alters genetic and enzyme systems, and damages the nervous system, including coordination and the senses of touch, taste and sight. Methylmercury is particularly damaging to developing embryos, which are five to ten times more sensitive than adults. Exposure to methylmercury is usually by ingestion and it is absorbed more readily and excreted more slowly than other forms of mercury.

PVC & PHTHALATES

PVC plastic (also known as vinyl) is the most commonly used plastic in medical devices such as IV bags and tubing, and it has been used in a wide variety of other applications in the health care setting, such as disposable gloves, curtains and flooring. Unfortunately, this type of plastic creates a number of environmental health risks.
There are two key problems associated with PVC:

• Dioxin, a known human carcinogen, can be formed during the manufacture of PVC, and during the incineration or burning of PVC products.
• DEHP, a phthalate used to soften PVC plastic that can leach from PVC medical devices, is linked to reproductive birth defects and other illnesses.

Several government agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration, the Swedish Chemicals Inspectorate and a Health Canada expert panel have warned that certain patients — particularly sick infants — may be at risk of harm from phthalates leaching out of vinyl medical devices.

Fortunately, medical devices that do not contain vinyl plastic or phthalates are available for use — and many health care facilities are switching to these safer alternatives.

 

 

FLAME

Flame retardants in U.S. furniture are on the rise, with a new study finding them in nearly all couches tested.
The findings, published today, confirm that household furniture remains a major source of a variety of flame retardants, some of which have been building up in people’s bodies and in the environment.

oddharmonic/flickr

In a new study, three out of every four couches purchased before 2005 contained flame retardants, while about 94 percent of newer ones did.

In the new tests, three out of every four couches purchased before 2005 contained the chemicals, with a now-banned compound in 39 percent. For newer couches, 94 percent contained flame retardants, nearly all next-generation compounds with little known about their potential health effects.
"More furniture appears to be treated with flame retardants today than, say, 15 years ago," said Heather Stapleton, an environmental chemist at Duke University and lead author of the project, which also included researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and Boston University.
In a separate study also published today, researchers found that dust in California homes is contaminated with levels of flame retardants that exceed health risk guidelines developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Some of the chemicals have been linked to cancer, altered hormones or neurological effects in lab animals, fetuses and children. Whether there are health risks from many of the newer flame retardants, however, is largely unknown, and most furniture does not carry labels that provide information to consumers.
"I am concerned by the rise in use and diversity of flame retardants on the market because we have very little information on their toxicity and potential effects on the general population, particularly vulnerable subpopulations such as pregnant women and young children," said Ami Zota, who studies flame retardants and reproductive health at the University of California, San Francisco. She did not participate in the new research.
"More furniture appears to be treated with flame retardants today than, say, 15 years ago." - Heather Stapleton, Duke University The scientists discovered one chemical in sofas that had never been reported before as a flame retardant.
"There is little to no information about the potential health effects of these new flame retardants in the peer-reviewed literature," said Heather Patisaul of North Carolina State University, who studies endocrine-disrupting chemicals but was not involved in the research.

macwagen/flickr

Ironically, flame retardants in furniture may not stop a house fire. California is currently debating a new standard that would reduce the use of flame retardants in furniture.

A spokesperson from the American Chemistry Council, which represents flame retardant manufacturers, said “this study confirms what we would expect to find: Furniture manufacturers use approved flame retardants to meet established fire safety standards, which help save lives. There is no data in this study that indicate that the levels of flame retardants found would cause any human health problems."
The use of flame retardants is traced to a California standard adopted in the 1970s, which mandates that foam used in furniture cushions must withstand a 12-second exposure to a small, open flame. Because the market in California is so large, much of the nation's furniture is manufactured with flame retardants to meet that standard.
The scientists tested 102 couches purchased between 1985 and 2010 in the first study that has examined flame retardants that have come onto the market since 2005. The foam samples were not randomly selected, so the results might not represent the United States as a whole, the authors said in their article published in the journal Environmental Science and Toxicology.
In all, 85 percent contained flame retardants. In tests of couches purchased over the past seven years, the chemicals were even more prevalent: 94 percent compared with 75 percent for those purchased between 1985 and 2004.
Tris, a suspected human carcinogen that was banned for use in baby pajamas in the 1970s, was the most prevalent compound in the couches; it was found in 41 percent.
"I am concerned by the rise in use and diversity of flame retardants on the market because we have very little information on their toxicity." - Ami Zota, University of California, San Francisco The separate study from the Massachusetts-based Silent Spring Institute, published in the same journal, found two different mixtures of Tris in dust in each of the 16 California homes studied.
PentaBDE was found in 17 percent of the couches. The chemical was phased out in the United States in 2005 after studies showed it was building up rapidly in human breast milk. In the tests of couches purchased prior to 2005, PentaBDE was the most common flame retardant, at 39 percent.

Toxic Materials in Electronics

Did you know? Electronic equipment can pollute soil and ground water when disposed in landfills. Electronic equipment contains toxic materials that can pose health and environmental risks, particularly when disposed of in landfills, where toxins may leak into the soil and ground water. The Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, an environmental advocacy group, has found that the majority of equipment is diverted to uncontrolled landfills or to unsafe recycling operations in developing countries. As a result, the local environment in those areas can become contaminated, and local residents, in an effort to reclaim valuable metal components, may be exposed to hazardous materials. 
                                        
 Electronic equipment contains toxic materials, such as:                           
• Computer and television monitors with cathode ray tubes (CRTs) contain 4-8 pounds of lead on average. The EPA has identified electronic products as the largest single source of lead in municipal solid waste.
• Printed circuit boards in computers, music players, and other electronic gear contain toxic metals such as chromium, nickel, and zinc.
• Batteries may contain nickel and cadmium.
• Relays, switches, and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) may contain mercury.
• Plastics used in many electronic products also contain flame retardants that are toxic and persist in the environment.

CLEANERS & PESTICIDE

Despite their role as places of healing, health care institutions use a surprising number of highly toxic chemicals on their premises, including pesticides, cleaners and disinfectants and fragrance chemicals. As these chemicals vaporize, they contribute to poor indoor air quality, which has been identified as one of the top environmental risks to public health.
Patients are particularly vulnerable to indoor air quality threats, since many have compromised respiratory, neurological or immunological systems and/or increased chemical sensitivities. The U.S. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) has also expressed concern over the growing number of respiratory problems among health care workers.
The good news is that health care facilities can manage pests and provide a clean and sanitary environment without the use of toxic chemicals.

---

Let Future Generations Enjoy The Same Of What We Enjoy Now :)

---