Chemicals of Concern for the Health Sector
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH), as part of the Sustainable Health in Procurement Project (SHiPP), have released the “Chemicals of Concern for the Health Sector” document via a joint virtual session on 25 February 2021.
The document is based on the report Chemicals of Concern to Health and Environment, published by HCWH and UNDP in 2018. The chemicals listed in the document were carcinogen, mutagen, endocrine disruptor, or reproductive hazards and/or bio-accumulative and persistent to the environment based on the authoritative lists.
Extracted from the 2018 report, the current document includes the list of chemicals used by the health care sector and/or included in the health products. In addition, the document includes case examples that demonstrate how hospitals have successfully substituted chemicals and chemicals in products with more sustainable alternatives. The case studies showcase how health systems are moving away from hazardous products by substituting with safer alternatives
The intended audience for this document is health sector procurement officers, sustainability coordinators, and others concerned with procuring and using safer and more sustainable materials. The document is designed to help health care facilities identify the type of hazards, the application and use of the chemicals, and their safer alternatives. The list can also be used by suppliers, in order to identify products containing the chemicals for elimination or substitution with less hazardous, clinically appropriate alternatives.
The Chemicals of Concern for the Health Sector was released on 25 February 2021 by UNDP and HCWH through a virtual session. The speakers were:
- Dr. Laura Altinger, Regional Team Leader, Nature, Climate, and Energy, UNDP Eastern Europe and Central Asia
- Megha Rathi, SHiPP Coordinator, Health Care Without Harm
- Tshepo Mokhadi, Chief Environmental Officer, Bongani Regional Hospital, Free State, South Africa
- Queen Tsoeu, Assistant Director, Supply Chain Management, Bongani Regional Hospital, Free State, South Africa
The session was moderated by Susan Wilburn, International Sustainability Director, Health Care Without Harm (HCWH).
