Potentially harmful chemicals and gases
- Mercury. Mercury is a heavy metal used in several products in the hospital, like thermometers, batteries and fluorescent lamps. The metal can be toxic to the nervous system, and cause problems with memory, information processing, attention, language, and fine motor skills.
Patients are not very likely to experience a direct exposure to mercury in the hospital. Instead, mercury is more likely to end up in the medical waste stream and emitted into the air during incineration of the waste. The airborne mercury can settle into nearby waterways or seep into the ground water supply. The amount of mercury in just one fever thermometer is enough to contaminate fish in a 20-acre lake.
In the United States, as many as one in eight children are born at risk of learning disabilities because their mothers ate fish contaminated with mercury. According to the organization Health Care Without Harm, hospitals generate up to 50 times more mercury in medical waste than found in municipal waste.
- Dioxin. Dioxins are toxic chemical compounds formed during the burning of hospital waste. The chemicals are also found in products with PVC (polyvinyl chloride, a plastic polymer). Dioxins don't easily degrade in the environment and eventually increase in concentration.
Exposure can occur through the surrounding air and in the food supply (the compounds are also taken in by animals used for food). Dioxin has been linked to the development of several kinds of cancer. In humans, dioxin exposure may cause changes in the immune system and in the levels of some hormones.
- DEHP. DEHP, or Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, is a plasticizer added to PVC products to soften and increase flexibility of some medical devices (like IV bags and tubing).
It doesn't bind well with the PVC and can leach out of the product and into the body. DEHP may be toxic to the liver, lungs and developing male reproductive system.
- Volatile Organic Compounds. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals emitted as gases from liquid or solid products. Some of the most common types of VOCs are formaldehyde (found in some types of building materials, permanent press drapes and clothing, glues, adhesives and some paints), pesticides, solvents and cleaning agents.
Exposure may cause irritation of the eyes, nose or throat, breathing problems, headache and nausea. VOCs may be toxic to the liver, kidneys and central nervous system. Some VOCs may also be linked to cancer.
- Glutaraldehyde. Glutaraldehyde is a colorless, oily liquid used to cold sterilize some types of hospital equipment. It is also used in labs and in the processing of X-ray films.
Exposure can irritate the airways and cause breathing problems, nosebleed, burning of the eyes, headache or nausea. Contact with the skin can lead to a rash or hives.
