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Resource from February 24th, 2021
This document is based on the report Chemicals of Concern to Health and Environment published by Health Care Without Harm and UNDP in 2018. The chemicals listed in the document were carcinogen, mutagen, endocrine disruptor or reproductive hazards and/or bioaccumulative 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 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 are 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, 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.