December 1997

HOPES FOR A HEALTHY NEW YEAR

Did you know that healthcare providers have the ability to make a profoundly positive impact on the health of the planet their patients inhabit? They can do this by taking a closer look at certain materials they use and at the way they dispose of some of their wastes.

For instance, when materials made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, chlorine-bleached paper, or products containing mercury are burned, toxic emissions and toxic ash can be released into our environment. These toxins accumulate in our food and water supplies and ultimately, our bodies.

The two most dangerous pollutants associated with the burning process are dioxin and mercury. These extraordinarily potent poisons can cause serious health problems including cancer, birth defects, disruption of human endocrine systems, immune system damage and, in the case of mercury, damage to the central nervous system. Dioxin, believed to be the single most carcinogenic chemical known to science, was recently classified as a proven human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Mercury is a recognized neurotoxin.

Where do these toxins come from in the medical setting? PVC is a larger component of hospital waste than of other solid waste streams. It's when these chlorine-containing PVCs like plastic gloves, IV and plasma bags, plastic eating utensils and excessive medical supply packaging are burned, that the toxic waste product dioxin is formed. Mercury, a naturally occurring heavy metal in the earth's crust is found in thermometers, blood pressure gauges, batteries, fluorescent lamps, and a variety of medical procedures. Medical waste may account for as much as 20 percent of the mercury in the solid waste stream. It cannot be destroyed through incineration.

What can we, as providers of health care do about this problem? We can start by learning more. Read on....

The Healthcare Industry's Impact on the Environment: Strategies for Global Change

On January 12, 1998, NHHA in Concord and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon will host a "live" interactive teleconference presented by the University of Vermont entitled The Healthcare Industry's Impact on the Environment: Strategies for Global Change. This FREE program will alert participants to the toxicity of dioxin and mercury, the volume of pollution generated from the health care delivery system, and the urgency of preventing dioxin formation and dispersion. The program, conducted by leading experts in the field, will seek to motivate health care professionals to: 

CHANGE the way they procure, use, and dispose of medical supplies, 

EDUCATE their patients and colleagues about the health effects of environmental pollution, and

ADVOCATE for minimization of hazardous medical wastes and for practices that promote "health care without harm".  

At the conclusion of the teleconference, participants will be able to: 

* Describe the state of the art research on the health effects of toxic chemicals and heavy metals 
* Identify the health care industry's contribution to the production of dioxin.
* Describe case studies of creative solutions to the challenge of minimizing medical waste.
* Discuss actions health care providers and health care organizations can take to minimize the production of toxic substances and medical waste in their practice settings


The program will be held from 12:30 - 2:30 p.m. Bring a brown bag lunch. To register for the Concord viewing e-mail: Debbie Augustine at daugustine@nhha.org or call (603) 225-0900. To register for the Lebanon viewing e-mail Laura Brannen at Laura.F.Brannen@hitchcock.org or call (603) 650-7719. Or to make arrangements for transmitting the teleconference at your facility, call UVM at 1-800-639-3188 by January 7th.

MAKE A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION THAT'S EASY TO KEEP:

REDUCE YOUR JUNK MAIL!

Tired of all that junk mail every time you open your mailbox, or those annoying phone calls when you're just sitting down to a meal? Here's how you can get rid of them!

Pre-Approved Credit Offers: Thanks to recent changes in the Fair Credit Reporting Act, consumers can now call a toll-free number to have their names removed from mailing lists used for credit offers. The toll-free numbers are operated by the three major national credit bureaus. You only need to call ONE of the numbers listed below since the credit bureaus share the lists with each other:

~ Equifax 1-800-556-4711 ~ Experian (formerly TRW) 1-800-353-0809 ~ Trans Union 1-800-680-7293

Under the law, the pre-approved credit card offers themselves must now include these toll-free phone numbers. Consumers should begin to see the numbers on the offers within the next few months.

National Advertising Mail: To have your name taken off general mailing lists, use a postcard and specify "please remove my name from all (or be specific) mailing lists" and mail it to:

Mail Preference Service
PO Box 9008
Farmingdale NY 11735-9008 (You will need to do this periodically to keep your name off the lists.)

Never Fill Out Warranty Cards! You are covered by the manufacturer's warranty as long as you keep your receipt. Most warranty cards go to the company listed below, which sells mailing lists. Ask them to remove your name.

National Demographics & Lifestyles

List Order Service
1621 18th Street, Suite 300
Denver CO 80202

1-800-525-3533

Too Many Telephone Calls? Write to the address below. Include your name, address and telephone number with area code. Tell them you wish to stop receiving telephone solicitation calls.

Telephone Preference Service

Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014

Last Resort Junk Mail: For 1st class or bulk rate mail with "Return postage guaranteed" or "Address correction requested" on it: DON'T OPEN IT. Write "Refused - return to sender. Remove from mailing list"

Catalogs: Use the 800 numbers on catalogs to call them directly to have your name removed from their mailing lists, especially if you receive more than one of the same catalog.

Doing all of the things listed above will make a huge difference in the amount of junk mail you DO NOT get. If only 100,000 people stopped their junk mail, 150,000 trees would be saved each year!