In a forum, October 15 at the St. Louis University (SLU) Hospital of the Sacred Heart, Faye Ferrer of the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia Program Office for Mercury said that there are substantial reasons for the phase out of the use of mercury in hospitals such as it being an occupational hazard and a danger to people, the wildlife and the environment.
BY NORTHERN DISPATCH
Bulatlat
BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. North of Manila)—An international organization has recommended the phasing out of mercury in all hospitals.
In a forum, October 15 at the St. Louis University (SLU) Hospital of the Sacred Heart, Faye Ferrer of the Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia Program Office for Mercury said that there are substantial reasons for the phase out of the use of mercury in hospitals such as it being an occupational hazard and a danger to people, the wildlife and the environment.
Mercury inhaled as vapor and absorbed through the lungs may cause tremors, emotional changes (mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness), insomnia, neuromuscular changes (weakness, muscle atrophy, twitching), headaches, disturbances in sensations, changes in nerve responses, performance deficits on tests of cognitive function. Higher exposure may cause kidney defects, respiratory failure and death.
The HCWH is a global coalition of 473 organizations in more than 50 countries working to protect health by reducing pollution in the health care sector.
The forum, organized by HCWH-SEA, Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region and SLU Hospital of the Sacred Heart, sought to gather the support of all of the region’s hospitals in the phase-out.
AO 2008-0021 signed last August by the Department of Health (DoH) requires all hospitals to follow the guidelines for the gradual phase-out of the use of mercury in two years. Another salient provision of the order is the requirement for all new health care facilities applying for a license to operate to submit an inventory of all mercury-containing devices that will be used in their facilities and a corresponding mercury elimination program.
“On top of the administrative order, which mandates all hospitals to immediately discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers to patients, in admission or discharge kits, is the danger that all mercury-containing devices pose to patients as well as to nurses, doctors and other health workers,” said Ferrer.
According to Malou Jacinto, administrator of the SLU Hospital of the Sacred Heart, the “shift to mercury alternative is our only solution considering the cost of cleaning up mercury spills in hospitals and the insurmountable diseases it poses to anyone who enters hospital facilities or anyone who inhales air with mercury.”
Ferrer pointed out that the shift to mercury alternatives is “doable, affordable and is economically-feasible.” She cited that even before the signing of the AO, more than 50 hospitals in the Philippines have either phased-out or are in the process of phasing-out mercury.
“This for us is the true essence of providing health care – a health care that is safe to the people and less toxic to the environment,” Ferrer added. (Northern Dispatch/(Bulatlat.com)
