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Mercury Alternatives
Join the more than 1,400 health care facilities that have pledged to go mercury free! HCWH offers these tools and resources to get you started.
 Steps to Becoming Mercury Free
Alternatives to Mercury-Containing Products
NEW: Mercury and Blood Measurement - The Complete Story
Steps to becoming Mercury Free
1. Identify mercury-containing items
The transition to mercury-free health care first requires that hospitals take an inventory of the mercury-containing products they currently purchase or have in stock. There are several good tools hospitals can use to identify mercury-containing products in their facility.
Health Care Without Harm has developed a List of Mercury-Containing Items in a Hospital Setting (pdf).
The National Institutes of Health "Mad as a Hatter" Mercury Reduction Campaign website provides a list of alternatives to mercury-containing biomedical laboratory reagents and procedures, biomedical equipment, and facility-related systems, equipment, and supplies.
The MWRA / MASCO Mercury Management Guidebook provides a database of mercury-containing items as well as resources on mercury in wastewater.
The Mercury Assessment Worksheet (requires Microsoft Excel to view and use) was designed to help organizations inventory their mercury-containing devices. This spreadsheet was developed by the CA Office of P2 and Technology Development and the CA Department of Health Services' Hospital Pollution Prevention Program.
The Mercury Checklist (pdf) is part of Hospital for a Healthy Environment's (H2E) Self Assessment for Facilities. See Sections 5A and 5B.
2. Implement mercury-free purchasing policy
Once the inventory is complete, hospitals should consider implementing a mercury free purchasing policy. Having a hospital or system-wide policy to eliminate certain types of toxic products or materials can be beneficial in that administration, clinicians and materials management/purchasing are all working under the same definition of what should no longer be purchased by the facility. For more information on developing a mercury-free purchasing policy, click here (pdf).
3. Set mercury reduction goals
Set goals for the elimination of certain mercury devices. Hospitals often begin with mercury thermometers and then move on to eliminate mercury sphygmomanometers, or blood pressure devices. Some begin with recycling fluorescent lamps or the elimination of mercury-containing fixatives in the lab. A facility may have a problem area in regards to mercury, and goals for mercury elimination should be set according to facility priorities. Often, defining small goals and achieving them creates momentum for the program and keeps staff engaged. Mercury elimination efforts should be documented and can be used as a Performance Improvement Initiative for JCAHO.
Alternatives to Mercury-Containing Products
Cost-effective alternatives exist for virtually every mercury-containing product used in the health care setting. The key to a smooth transition away from mercury products means coordinating with Purchasing/Materials Management to make sure they are aware of the alternatives to mercury products. The key resource for mercury-free alternatives is the Sustainable Hospitals Project - a clearinghouse of information on alternatives to certain toxic products in the health care sector, including mercury, PVC and latex. This website also provides detailed specifications on alternative products in addition to the contact information for vendors of these alternatives.
Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) are also taking up the charge to provide mercury free products to their hospital clients.
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