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| Research article summary (published 30 Aug 2002): |
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Can environmental purchasing reduce mercury in U.S. health care?
Full Abstract
Environmental purchasing represents an innovative approach to mercury control for the health care sector in the United States. The U.S. health care sector creates significant environmental impacts, including the release of toxic substances such as mercury. Our goal in this study was to provide the health care industry with a method of identifying the environmental impacts associated with the products they use. The Health Care Environmental Purchasing Tool (HCEPT) was developed and tested at nine health care facilities in the Great Lakes region of the United States. As a result, more than 1 kg of mercury was removed from four facilities. The complexity of the supply chain inhibits a direct environmental information exchange between health-care decision makers and suppliers. However, a dialogue is starting within the health care supply chain to address environmental issues. The HCEPT has been shown to assist health care facilities with that dialogue by identifying products that have environmental consequences. This promising tool is now available for further experimentation and modification, to facilitate overall environmental improvement, and to provide a systematic method for environmental assessment of health care products.
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Author information
Author/s: Eagan, Patrick D (PD); Kaiser, Barb (B);
Affiliation: Engineering Professional Development and Industrial Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Eagan(-atsign-)engr.wisc.edu
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Environmental health perspectives (Environ Health Perspect), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Sep; vol 110 (issue 9) : pp 847-51
Dates: Created 2002/09/02; Completed 2002/10/29; Revised 2006/11/15;
PMID: 12204816, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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