Environmentally-friendly medical supplies

This may be the first post I cross-posted both here and on the hip & zen pen, a blog I contribute to about life balance, lifehacking and progressive causes (like the environment.)

You may not think much about the kind of waste generated by a hospital (and I don't just mean toxic waste, people.)

But HospitalImpact.org brings us a story of one way hospitals can cut down on their environmental impact: PVC/DEHP-free IV-bags and tubing.

Hospitals aren't the only ones, though, who use such supplies. I use them every day. I have a cat with mild Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) and I giver her 100 ccs of sub-cutaneous fluids every day using exactly the same supplies I see on TV during every medical show. Been doing it for over 2 years. The bags I use are recyclable, or so the symbols on the bag tell me. But maybe these new bags are even better? Don't know.

Just thought it was interesting.

Comments

[Patricia Royall]

Well..also that garment we all love to hate - the hospital johnny..made from cotton, not organic cotton...traditional cotton uses the highest number of chemicals during growth than any other fabric, and it's the largest transmitter of pathogens (*study VCU using white cotton lab coats). The World Health Organization stated the chemicals used on growing traditional cotton attribute to over 20,000 deaths annually in developing countries...oh and yes, the residual chemicals left on the garments - they can transmit to your skin.

I understand the reasoning behind the choices of cotton and polyester - they're the least expensive to produce, but if we're going to move toward more eco-friendly products/medical supplies than other fibers such as TENCEL(r) and organic cotton need to be considered.

[Roy]

I have never actually thought about how much waste a hospital must go through. I guess it makes sense that many items can only be used once and then must be discarded, and when you add the packaging into consideration it becomes quite large. I never thought about eco-friendly medical supplies. It seems like a very good idea.