The Global Healthcare Waste Management project, implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and funded by the Global Environment Facility, is helping promote best practices in healthcare waste management and mercury waste management in the King George’s Medical University in Lucknow, India. The hospital has been able to reduce the amount of infectious waste generated by 80 percent due to proper segregation, transportation and treatment of waste practices.

King George Medical University's bio-medical waste management system has received 'Special Recognition Award' from United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and World Health Organisation (WHO), for developing model bio-medical waste management practices.

This document provides a partial list of alkaline hydrolysis technologies for pathological waste. The technologies do not include autoclaves, microwave units, hybrid steam treatment systems or other steam-based technologies, chemical disinfection, irradiation, biological treatment, and incineration or incineration-like technologies. Companies that only provide waste collection and treatment services are not included.

This document provides a partial list of frictional heating treatment technologies for healthcare waste. The technologies do not include autoclaves, microwave units, hybrid steam treatment systems or other steam-based technologies, alkaline hydrolysis, chemical disinfection, irradiation, biological treatment, and incineration or incineration-like technologies. Companies that only provide waste collection and treatment services are not included.

Toxics Link in partnership with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (CSMMU), Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh organized a workshop on “Mercury Phase Out in Health Care Sector” on March 24th, 2011 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh that was supported by the UNDP/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project. The overall objective of the workshop was to sensitize the issue of mercury in the health care sector in the region by providing a platform for all the stakeholders to have a healthy discussion as well as knowledge and experience sharing.

El Proyecto PNUD-FMAM está adquiriendo tecnologías de tratamiento alternativas a la incineración a los fines de realizar demostraciones en establecimientos modelo o establecimientos de tratamiento centralizado modelo. El presente documento orientador brinda un ejemplo de las especificaciones técnicas para los autoclaves de vacío utilizados en el tratamiento de residuos generados por la atención de la salud. Deberá ser modificado para los requerimientos específicos del establecimiento modelo y de cada país. Téngase en cuenta que las presentes especificaciones están orientadas a los autoclaves de vacío y deberán ser modificadas para incluir otros tipos de tecnologías de tratamiento, tales como los sistemas por microondas.

Le projet PNUD-FEM cherche à acquérir des technologies sans incinération pour les démontrer dans des établissements modèles ou des unités de traitement centralisé modèles. Le présent guide fournit un exemple de caractéristiques techniques pour les autoclaves à vide servant au traitement des déchets de soins médicaux. Il doit être modifié pour être adapté aux besoins spécifiques de l'établissement modèle ou du pays concernés. Il faut noter que les présentes caractéristiques sont destinées aux autoclaves à vide et devront être modifiées pour prendre en charge d'autres types de technologies de traitement, par exemple les systèmes à micro-ondes.

In 2011, the Special Rapporteur in human rights and toxic waste, Mr. Calin Georgescu, released a report focusing on “the adverse effects that the unsound management and disposal of medical waste may have on the enjoyment of human rights.” As part of his research, organizations with an interest in the sound management and disposal of healthcare waste, including Health Care Without Harm, were asked to submit any relevant information. Health Care Without Harm staff, with the assistance of network members and waste management experts across Africa, South Asia and Latin America, assembled a large body of information, which was submitted to the Special Rapporteur for his consideration. In the attached report, Health Care Without Harm has published this information to help highlight the issue and the importance of the Special Rapporteur’s report.

The UNDP GEF Project is procuring non-incineration treatment technologies for demonstration in model facilities or model central treatment facilities. This guidance gives an example of technical specifications for vacuum autoclaves used in treating healthcare waste. It should be modified for the specific requirements of the model facility and country. Note that these specifications are geared towards vacuum autoclaves and would have to be modified to cover other types of treatment technologies such as microwave systems.

Esta breve guía publicada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud ha sido diseñada para ofrecer instrucciones paso a paso para la sustitución segura de termómetros y tensiómetros sin mercurio en el ámbito de la atención de la salud. Identifica los recursos disponibles que ofrecen un nivel equivalente de exactitud y un nivel comparable de utilidad respecto de los productos sustituidos, mientras que protege a los trabajadores de la salud y el medioambiente. Ha sido diseñada para los profesionales responsables de instituciones o para ministerios que deseen empezar a utilizar tecnologías más seguras y no contaminantes en el entorno de la salud.

Health Care Without Harm has released a video meant to be part of a training program for hospitals around the world that are aiming to eliminate mercury and safely manage and store mercury waste while governments search for a more permanent solution. The video is based on the UNDP-GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project's mercury waste management guidelines. It is available in Spanish and English and is adaptable to other languages. To learn more and to watch the English version of the video please visit HCWH's Global South You Tube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOpYU945UMc&context=C41495d7ADvjVQa1PpcFOw2AKzGt4Cj98ClDR2N0D5GxWTcC5Qte0=. To watch the Spanish version of the video please visit Salud Sin Dano's You Tube Channel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry5SbkKv96o&list=UUdUtec-RLk2Rk1TcLss5kGw&index=1&feature=plcp.

Health Care Without Harm has launched a new initiative designed to foster greater ecological sustainability and environmental health in the health care sector around the world. The Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Agenda is a document that provides a framework for hospitals and health systems to reduce their ecological footprint and play a leading role in addressing major environmental health challenges –such as chemical contamination, medical waste and climate change– in the hospital setting and the broader community. The Agenda will form the foundation of a Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network, which HCWH will formally launch in early 2012. To learn more about the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network please visit http://www.greenhospitals.net/.

The UNDP/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project in Lebanon has released a series of newletters that update readers about healthcare waste management issues and solutions as well as project activities, objectives, and information. This third issue of the newsletter focuses on mercury in healthcare and addresses (1) Health impacts of mercury exposure; (2) Environmental costs of mercury pollution; (3) Mercury-containing devices; (4) Mercury Waste Management for Dental; (5) Alternatives to mercury-containing; (6) Case Study: Lebanon; (7) Managing small mercury spills; (7) Temporary on-site storage of mercury; and (8) Mercury waste transport.

The UNDP/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project in Lebanon has released a series of newletters that update readers about healthcare waste management issues and solutions as well as project activities, objectives, and information. This second issue of the newsletter addresses (1) Selection of two model hospitals to demonstrate best practices in healthcare waste management in Lebanon; (2) Baseline Assessment at the two model hospitals; and (3) Rapid Assessment of healthcare waste management in a number of hospitals in Lebanon.

The UNDP/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project in Lebanon has released a series of newletters that update readers about healthcare waste management issues and solutions as well as project activities, objectives, and information. This first issue of the newsletter addresses (1) Healthcare in Lebanon; (2) Types of Healthcare Waste According to Decree 13389/2004; (3) Enviornmental Impacts of Improper Healthcare Waste Management; (4) Healthcare Waste Management in Lebanon; and (5) Legal Framework for Healthcare Waste Management in Lebanon.

A new report by the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and toxic waste, Calin Georgescu, said the international community has to date paid little attention to the growing problem of medical waste around the world, despite the threat it poses to millions of people and the environment. The report focuses on “the adverse effects that the unsound management and disposal of medical waste may have on the enjoyment of human rights.” In his prepared statement to the Human Rights Council, Mr. Georgescu called for “The replacement of incineration as a disposal method of hazardous medical waste with more environmentally-friendly and safe methods of disposal, such as autoclaving.”

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has launched a project to phase out use of mercury in private healthcare organizations. The project is based on a study done by the United Nations Development Program on disposal of biomedical waste in developing countries.

A fin de aumentar la escala de las tareas de reemplazo de los instrumentos clínicos a base de mercurio en todo el mundo, Salud Sin Daño ha desarrollado una guía para la sistematización de los pasos básicos para la sustitución del mercurio. La guía está también disponible en portugués y en chino en el siguiente link: http://www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org/HCWH_Mercury_Guide.html.

In order to scale-up the replacement of mercury–based medical devices around the world, Health Care Without Harm has put together a guide that systematizes the basic steps in mercury substitution. The guide is also available in Portuguese and Chinese at the following link: http://www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org/HCWH_Mercury_Guide.html.

This short guide released by the World Health Organization is designed to provide step-by-step instructions for the safe substitution of non-mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers in health-care settings. It identifies available resources that support the equivalent accuracy and comparable clinical utility of the substituted products, while protecting health-care workers and the environment. It is designed for professionals responsible for institutions or ministries desiring to switch to safer non‐polluting technologies in health care.

The purpose of this survey is to gather data in order to: (1) assess potential mercury exposures of health workers and patients in different parts of healthcare facilities; (2) identify areas where ambient air mercury levels are higher than background levels in healthcare facilities that use mercury devices; and (3) evaluate residual ambient air mercury levels in facilities that have phased out mercury devices.

On March 15, in Manila, Philippines, this declaration for mercury free health care was drafted at the Asia Regional Conference on Mercury Free Health Care. The regional event was co-organized by Health Care Without Harm, the World Health Organization and the UNDP GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project to support the development of mercury-free health care in Asia.

Officials from Ministries of Health and Environment, hospital managers and representatives of national health care professional associations from ten Asian countries are gathering this week in Manila to discuss substituting mercury-based medical devices with safe, accurate, affordable alternatives throughout the region. The Asia Regional Conference on Mercury-Free Health Care, is organized by Health Care Without Harm, the World Health Organization, and the UNDP-GEF Global Health Care Waste project.

The Sample Master Curriculum for Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) Training is a detailed course outline for a HCWM training course that aims to impart the knowledge and skills and develop the attitudes essential for HCWM Coordinators to effectively execute best HCWM practices in his/her healthcare facilities. The curriculum outline provides guidance on effective training methodologies, expected outcomes, training aids and activities as well as resources.

Le présent document présente un protocole de test de provocation microbiologique pour les tests de validation des autoclaves à déplacement par gravité ou sous vide destinés au traitement des déchets médicaux. L'objectif du protocole de test est de démontrer la capacité d'un autoclave à traiter efficacement les déchets médicaux selon les normes de traitement reconnues.

Este documento ofrece un protocolo para pruebas de provocación microbiológicas para ensayos de validación de autoclaves de desplazamiento por gravedad o de vacío utilizados para el tratamiento de residuos hospitalarios. El objetivo de este protocolo de ensayo es demostrar la capacidad del autoclave para tratar los residuos hospitalarios de modo efectivo de conformidad con los estándares de tratamiento aceptados.

This document provides a microbiological challenge test protocol for validation testing of gravity-displacement or vacuum autoclaves used for the treatment of medical waste. The objective of the test protocol is to demonstrate the ability of an autoclave to effectively treat medical waste according to accepted treatment standards.

Mientras los centros de salud progresivamente eliminan los aparatos de mercurio, se necesitan métodos adecuados para su almacenamiento y transporte. Este documento está orientado hacia los países del proyecto donde no existen, en la actualidad, normas y directrices nacionales para la limpieza, almacenamiento y transporte de desechos de mercurio. Estas normas sugeridas deben formar parte de un plan más amplio para la recuperación y eliminación del mercurio.

Since October 2008, Bagamoyo Hospital in Tanzania has been using an autoclave and shredder to render their waste harmless before disposal. A year of monitoring after the project initiation demonstrated that this technology can work well in the African context. This report shows how steam-based disinfection rather than incineration was used in the hospital to treat medical waste.

Parallèlement à l’élimination progressive des dispositifs à mercure dans les établissements de santé, des méthodes de stockage et de transport appropriées sont nécessaires. Le présent document est destiné aux pays qui]@ ne disposent pas actuellement de normes ni de directives nationales en matière de nettoyage, de stockage et de transport de déchets contenant du mercure. Ce guide proposé devrait faire partie d'un plan global de séquestration et d'élimination progressive du mercure.

As health facilities phase out mercury devices, proper methods of storage and transport are needed. This document is intended for project countries where national norms and guidelines for cleanup, storage, and transport of mercury waste do not exist at this time. These suggested guidelines should become part of a broader plan for sequestration and phase-out of mercury.

Medical waste was spotted lying in a roadside dump in Patparganj. When the locals were queried about the origins of the waste that included a foetus, syringes, gloves, blood-stained cotton and bandages, they pointed to a nearby maternity centre.

At its May 2010 meeting, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on hazardous waste, including health care waste management. The resolution highlights the need for environmentally sound waste management.

WHO and HCWH have issued a two-year progress report on the global Mercury-Free Health Care Initiative. The report documents the progress of dozens of countries from around the world moving toward mercury-free health care. The progress report finds that,“Momentum is growing and mercury-free health care is increasingly becoming the status quo in many countries. The Global Initiative is moving closer to a tipping point that will shift the dynamics of supply and demand in the global thermometer and blood pressure device markets away from mercury and toward the alternatives.”

This document provides a partial list of non-incineration technologies for the treatment of healthcare waste. The technologies include autoclaves, microwave units, hybrid steam treatment systems, and other steam-based technologies. It does not include vendors of chemical disinfection, irradiation, biological treatment, and incineration or incineration-like technologies. Please note that the UNDP GEF Project does not endorse any of the technologies, companies, or brand names in this list.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has urged the States of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to pool in their resources to draft bio-medical waste disposal guidelines. According to the body, Delhi and the National Capital Region collectively generate over 3,400 tonnes of medical waste annually, most of which remain untreated and dumped with municipal waste causing a serious health and environment hazard.

El Proyecto Internacional PNUD FMAM sobre Desechos Generados por la Atención de la Salud se complace en compartir información actualizada sobre el proyecto (en Inglés, Francés y Español). El informe destaca los avances y los logros del proyecto.

Le Projet Global des Déchets Biomédicaux du PNUD vous présente avec enthusiasme le premier rapport sur le progrès du Projet (en anglais, français et espagnol). Depuis son début en Août 2008, le Projet a accompli plusieures activités nationales et globales. Le rapport met en évidence le progrès et les accomplissements du Projet.

The UNDP GEF Project on Healthcare Waste Management is excited to share its first Project Update report (in English, French, and Spanish). Since its beginning in August 2008, the project has accomplished multiple national and global activities. The report highlights the project's progress and achievements.

Argentina and the Philippines, the two countries leading the developing world in substituting mercury-based medical devices with safe, accurate and affordable alternatives, took significant steps to implement and strengthen their national mercury-free health care policies.

Ce guide décrit des méthodes différentes pour estimer la libération totale de dioxines à présent et/ou dans le passée, avant l'intervention du projet FEM de PNUD (UNDP GEF). Une base sera ainsi établie afin de calculer l'efficacité des coûts.

L'OER-I est un outil d'évaluation rapide permettant à obtenir une indication initiale du niveau de la gestion des déchets d'activités de soins par rapport a un établissement de santé. Les résultats de cet outil se constituent dans un score global qui peut être utilisé par le Ministère de la Santé pour comparer les unités hospitalières et les ranger en catégories afin de prioriser les interventions. L'outil peut être utilisé aussi bien comme un outil rapide pour l'identification des zones possibles d'amélioration.

Ce guide contient une liste des données nécessaires sur un établissement de santé avant l'introduction des meilleures pratiques et techniques liées à la gestion des déchets d'activités de soins. Il décrit aussi la justification et les procédures pour la recueille et l'analyse des données de base.

This presentation discusses the properties, sources, and health effects of mercury. The presentation includes notes on each slide to help the user navigate through the presentation.

Argentina — A través de una resolución el Ministerio de Salud de la Nación prohibió la producción, importación, comercialización o cesión gratuita de esfigmomanómetros de columna de mercurio para la evaluación de la tensión arterial destinados al público en general, a la atención médica y veterinaria.

In what appears to be a clear violation of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has been dumping bio-medical waste like needles, syringes and empty bottles in an open ground near Dadauli village on the city’s outskirts.

This report, prepared by AGENDA, surveyed the number, types, and sizes of healthcare facilities in Africa, waste generation rates, existing policies and practices regarding HCWM, equipment costs, and land disposal issues. The information was used to guide the design of new technologies.

This outline provides core competencies related to healthcare waste management that can be used to define standards that become the basis for training curricula, professional development, and accreditation. Some countries may have to modify the core competencies to reflect their current practices, the level of development of HCWM in their country, and the availability of resources.

The Sidon rubbish dump has been growing for almost 30 years. It has served as the main disposal site for the city and environmentalists say that the dump is a health hazard. Industrial, some chemical and even medical waste is dumped at the site along with household rubbish.

Despite strict directions of the Orissa High Court for proper implementation of the Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, little has changed in the scene at the medical colleges and hospitals of the State. Infectious waste, body parts and sharp discards continue to be mixed with general waste and disposed of in the open even as biomedical waste units have been established and measures taken for segregation at the points of origin.

The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) has served notices to heads of 20 hospitals in Ahmedabad for improper handling of plastic and biomedical waste disposal. With this, the GPCB has set the ball rolling for safe and timely disposal of the waste from hospitals in the city, a procedure that has been lying in limbo for quite some time now.

Esta plantilla de Memorandum de Entendimiento (MdE) describe los roles y responsabilidades de la institución socia proveedora de los servicios de capacitación que participe en el Proyecto de Naciones Unidas/ FMAM sobre desechos generados por la atención de la salud

This template Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the roles and responsibilities of a training partner participating in the UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project.

This document presents the efforts and initiatives taken so far by people fighting against the use of mercury in the Health Care Settings in India. Many Hospitals turned mercury free voluntarily and a few more shifted recently after the Delhi government order to phase out the use of mercury in the hospitals. The experiences of people who have changed have been documented in the report and a small chronicle of what has happened on the mercury front has been profiled to help people in their journey to go ‘mercury free’.

This guidance describes an activity that will obtain information to help the Global Project Team, in consultation with the National Consultant and others, to specify the waste treatment technology appropriate for each country. This could involve the purchase and installation of an alternative treatment technology that does not produce dioxins.

This guidance lists the data needed from a healthcare facility before the introduction of best practices and techniques related to healthcare waste management. It also describes the rationale and procedures to gather and analyze the baseline data.

Efficient management of bio-medical waste by hospitals and health care institutions remains a matter of grave concern in India, experts said at a two-day national seminar on hospital waste management organised by the Trivandrum Management Association.

Half the world's population could be at risk from exposure to mounting volumes of improperly disposed medical waste, according to a review published this month in Tropical Medicine and International Health. This article discusses the effects of poor waste management practices in low- and middle-income countries.

In celebration of the first year anniversary of mercury phase-out in all Philippine hospitals, Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia's fourth leg of blood pressure and temperature screening activity using mercury-free devices draws a big crowd in Pasig City. "We go around the different cities in the country to showcase that mercury-free alternatives in health care are available," said Faye Ferrer, HCWH-SEA Program Officer for Mercury

This report addresses the issue of whether the replacement of mercury-containing blood-pressure measuring devices would endanger proper health care and/or compromise long-term translational epidemiological studies for public health. It finds that mercury-free blood pressure measuring devices, when clinically validated, are generally reliable substitutes for mercury-containing sphygmomanometers in routine clinical practice.

In addition to replacing mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers, many other options exist to reduce mercury in a health facility. The general approach outlined in this guidance can be used to prioritize mercury reduction activities in light of budget constraints.

This guidance describes various methods for estimating total dioxin releases, present and/or past, prior to the intervention of the UNDP GEF project, thus establishing a baseline for the purpose of calculating cost-effectiveness.

Esta herramienta es para obtener una idea inicial sobre el nivel de gestión de los residuos generados por la atención de la salud en cada establecimiento de salud individual. La misma ha sido diseñada para ser utilizada por consultores técnicos y/o personal de hospital especializado en la gestión de residuos generados por la atención de la salud.

El presente documento orientador enumera los datos necesarios de los establecimientos de salud modelo antes de la introducción de las mejores prácticas y técnicas relacionadas con el manejo de residuos generados por la atención de la salud (HCWM). Asimismo, describe el fundamento y los procedimientos requeridos para recabar y analizar los datos iniciales.

Información sobre la conformación del Grupo Nacional de Trabajo del Proyecto PNUD/GEF de Residuos Médicos, y sobre su función y responsabilidades.

Información sobre la conformación del Comité Directivo del Proyecto a Nivel Nacional del Proyecto PNUD/GEF de Residuos Médicos, y sobre su función y responsabilidades.

Este informe explica cómo PNUD apoya los países en desarrollo en sus esfuerzos de encontrar los objetivos de la Convención de Estocolmo sobre Contaminantes Orgánicos Persistentes, que es un tratado global diseñado para proteger la salud humana y el ambiente de sustancias químicas que no degradan en el ambiente para espacios de tiempo largos, son distribuidos extensamente geográficamente, y acumulan en humanos y fauna.

Cette feuille de fait explique comment le PNUD soutient des pays en développement dans leurs efforts pour rencontrer les objectifs de la Convention de Stockholm sur les Polluants Organiques Persistants, qui est un traité global conçu pour protéger la santé humaine et l'environnement des produits chimiques qui ne dégradent pas dans l'environnement pour les périodes longues de temps, sont largement distribué géographiquement, et accumulent dans les humains et la faune.

This fact sheet explains how UNDP supports developing countries in their efforts to meet the objectives of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which is a global treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from chemicals that do not degrade in the environment for long periods of time, are widely distributed geographically, and accumulate in humans and wildlife.

The I-RAT is a rapid assessment tool to obtain an initial indication of the level of healthcare waste management at an individual healthcare facility. The tool results in an overall score that can be used to compare and rank healthcare facilities for the purpose of prioritizing interventions, and can also be used as a quick tool to identify possible areas for improvement within a single facility.

This template Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlines the roles and responsibilities of a healthcare facility participating in the UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project.

Un esquema que muestra la estructura nacional de proyecto en Argentina que forma parte del Proyecto PNUD/GEF de Residuos Médicos.

This one-pager outlines the usual composition, role and responsibilities of the National Working Groups formed in each country for this UNDP/GEF Healthcare Waste Project

This one-pager outlines the usual composition, role and responsibilities of the National Project Steering Committees formed in each country for this UNDP/GEF Healthcare Waste Project

The Technology Development Advisory Committee (TDAC) is an international group of experts who provide advice and feedback to the Technology Development Coordinating Team (TDCT) on different aspects of the technology development component of this UN/GEF Project. This document lists the members of both of these committees and provides information about their respective backgrounds and interests.

This outline provides guidance on what to include when drafting a healthcare facility's policy on waste management. It is intended to serve as a starting point in crafting a policy that meets the needs of an individual facility.

Philippine General Hospital, the premier tertiary hospital in the Philippines, announced that the hospital has "completely banned purchase of mercury devices." The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, the country's government health insurance provider, will also no longer accredit hospitals that continue to use mercury devices.

Following clamor for environmentally responsible health care, 15 hospitals, four medical universities, a local environment and natural resources office and a national medical association all pledged to support environmental health campaigns in hospitals and health care system in the country.

This document is a compilation of existing training materials from around the world. The document includes outlines that can assist the development of the following types of training materials: a brochure, train the trainer manual, participants’ manual, presentation, sample training workshop, and training workshop tools.

Los hospitales y centros de salud públicos de todo el país dejarán de utilizar termómetros y tensiómetros que contengan mercurio, según una disposición del Ministerio de Salud de la Nación que retoma una directiva de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).

More than 140 countries agreed to begin talks on a legally binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide. Formal negotiations on a treaty on mercury are set to begin in 2010 and to conclude in 2013.

To promote public health and welfare for the environment, the Department of Health in region 7 (DOH-7) in coordination with the DENR-7-Environment Management Bureau will conduct a training on Health Care Waste Management to the public and private hospitals.

Environment and health advocates sounded the alarm on the dangers of mercury to coincide with the international release of a study that shows the harmful effects of burning mercury-added products on February 5. The new study reveals that 200 tons of mercury is released yearly from burning products.

El Ministerio de Salud Pública decidió erradicar el uso de los termómetros de mercurio debido a sus efectos nocivos en las personas y sustituirlos por digitales.

Health Care Without Harm and the World Health Organization have launched a global partnership to achieve virtual elimination of mercury-based thermometers and sphgmomanometers over the next decade and their substitution with accurate, economically viable alternatives.

Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)-Southeast Asia sees Ospital ng Maynila in the Philippines to be one of the model hospitals in Southeast Asia in terms of proper health care waste management, employing appropriate non-incineration treatment technologies and joining other hospitals around the world in using mercury-free devices.

The Government of India have delegated necessary powers to all the State Pollution Control Boards and Pollution Control Committees in the Union Territories to issue directions to any industry or any other authority for violation of standards and Rules, inter-alia, relating to Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998.

Health Care Without Harm announces the launch of a joint project to replace Bagamoyo District Hospital's reliance on an ailing incinerator with a safer, non-burn waste treatment system.

The UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project and the NGO Health Care Without Harm, in collaboration with AGENDA and John Snow, Inc., are conducting a pilot project in Tanzania to demonstrate proper healthcare waste management and the use of an autoclave and shredder to disinfect healthcare waste in the context of sub-Saharan Africa. This technical brief summarizes the results of microbial inactivation testing of the autoclave at the 98-bed Bagamoyo District Hospital in Tanzania.

This booklet provides a starting point for learning more about autoclaves as safe, affordable means for sterilizing medical waste, and is intended to aid in decision-making for the purchase of medical waste autoclaves.

This administrative order from the Philippine Department of Health requires the gradual phase-out of mercury in all Philippine healthcare facilities and institutions.

The Health Systems in Transition profiles are country-based reports that provide a detailed description of a health system and of reform and policy initiatives in progress or under development in a specific country - in this case, Latvia.

This PowerPoint presentation provides an overview of the activities undertaken as part of the UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project.

Excerpted from the UNDP/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project's Project Document, this chart outlines some available non-incineration healthcare waste treatment technologies and briefly describes their general operating processes, range of capacities, and approximate costs.

This 224-page document outlines the GEF-approved plans for the implementation of the full UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project. It provides background information, project rationale and expected benefits, estimated budgets, and a host of information gathered during the project's planning (PDF-B) phase.

This 35 page document provides data on healthcare waste generation rates by waste type for various countries in a variety of chart and graph formats, along with the data's supporting documentation.

This one-page chart summarizes the various types of healthcare waste and the best management practices associated with each.

This excerpt from the UN/GEF Global Healthcare Waste Project's Project Document provides an outline of the project's logical framework, including details of the project's eight objectives and their accompanying strategies, indicators, assumptions and risks in a matrix format.

This paper builds on the WHO policy paper of 2004 and the Stockholm Convention in raising the need to consider the risks associated with the incineration of healthcare waste, alternatives to the use of incinerators, and the development of an improved medical waste management system.