Module 4. Mercury Use in Health Care Settings. - For Health Care Workers -

Module 4 Mercury Use in Health Care Settings - For Health Care Workers - Learning Objectives • Know how to identify and locate mercury containing pr...
Author: Reynard Roberts
2 downloads 2 Views 471KB Size
Module 4 Mercury Use in Health Care Settings - For Health Care Workers -

Learning Objectives • Know how to identify and locate mercury containing products in the hospital • Be familiar with proper handling and clean up procedures for small mercury spills • Identify options to make your health care setting a safer place to work Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

2

Learning Objectives • Know why mercury is used by the dental industry • Promote good dental hygiene for patients with mercury amalgams

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

3

Toxic Mercury • Mercury and its compounds are recognized as highly toxic substances • Mercury’s toxic effects include: – Harm to the central nervous system – Neurological and behavioral disorders – Kidney and thyroid problems

• Mercury is more likely to adversely affect children than adults Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

4

Why Does Mercury Matter? • Mercury is toxic to ourselves and to our environment • Yet, mercury is used in hospitals and dental offices all over the world • People are at risk when a mercury containing instrument breaks, leaks or spills Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

5

Mercury in Hospitals • Mercury is found in thermometers

• In sphygmomanometers

• In cantor tubes, esophageal dilators, feeding tubes and Miller Abbot tubes http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/anesthesiologyelective/images/anesth0018.jpg

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

7

Mercury in Hospitals

• And in some vaccines – Multi vs. single dose – No proven harm – Benefits vs. cost of vaccine

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

8

Is Mercury in Medicine? • Mercury is sometimes found in herbal products, dietary supplements and other compounds • Some textbooks erroneously report that mercury can be “detoxified”

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

8

What Are the Risks? • Mercury containing devices, especially thermometers, often break • Other times, mercury is spilled when devices, such as bogie tubes are filled • The mercury readily evaporates, posing a risk to everyone • Doctors, nurses and patients are at especially high risk Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

9

What Happens if There is a Mercury Spill? – Remove all people from the contaminated area – Keep the area below 20°C and ventilate if possible – Wear nitrile gloves and a mask during the clean-up – Use cardboard or folded paper to gather the mercury “beads” • Never use a broom or a vacuum cleaner

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

10

What Happens if There is a Mercury Spill? – Place all contaminated materials into a sealable plastic bag – Seal the bag – Place this sealed plastic bag inside an impactresistant sealable container made of plastic or metal – Put the container holding the contaminated material in sturdy secondary containers

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

11

Disposing of Mercury

Health Care Without Harm

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

12

How is Mercury Best Stored? • Keep all mercury containers tightly closed when not in use • Store liquid mercury and mercury-containing waste in a cool place • Post clearly visible signs in the storage area • Limit access to the storage area • Monitor the quantity of mercury on hand

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

13

Do Alternatives to Mercury Containing Devices Exist?

Health Care Without Harm

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

14

How Can the Government Help? • To safeguard the public, governments can: – Require the labeling of all mercury-containing medicines – Regulate the import and export of mercury containing healthcare products – Educate the public and health care workers about the dangers of these products – Help purchase mercury free alternatives

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

15

Health Care Without Harm

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

16

Mercury in Dentistry

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

15

How and Why Mercury is Used in Dentistry • In 2005 some 270 tonnes of mercury were used in dental amalgam worldwide • Dental amalgam is a cheap and easy method used by dentists to fill in cavities

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

www.ada.org

• The amalgam contains roughly 50% mercury

16

What Are the Risks? • Mercury containing waste released from dental office damage the environment • Do not use mercury amalgams with patients with impaired kidney function

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

17

What Are the Risks to the Patient? • The mercury in the amalgam slowly volatizes and erodes over time • Replacing the mercury amalgam may do more harm than good – Pieces of the amalgam may be inhaled or ingested

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

20

Minimizing Mercury’s Toxic Effects • Promote good dental hygiene in patients • Follow steps to safely and properly dispose of mercury containing waste • Use alternatives to dental amalgams whenever possible

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

21

Minimizing Mercury’s Toxic Effects • Use mercury detection devices in the office to protect against high levels of mercury vapor • Replace the mercury amalgam with mercury free alternatives

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

22

Safely Removing Dental Amalgams • Remove amalgam in chunks rather than dust • Do not remove amalgam chunks with a suction device • Use a finer mesh to trap more of the mercury waste • Consider purchasing an amalgam separator to separate mercury from wastewater Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

23

Skills for Amalgam Waste Management • Train staff to minimize and to properly dispose of waste • Offices should collect, store and recycle as much of the amalgam waste as possible – i.e. amalgam capsules, excess amalgam, pump filters

• Professionals should read suggested practices found in “How does an institution properly dispose of mercury?” Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

24

What Are the Main Messages? • Prevent mercury spills and leaks whenever possible • For almost every mercury containing device in the hospital, a mercury free alternative exists • Dentists should take proper measures to safeguard staff, patients and the local water supply from mercury contamination Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

25

Additional Resources •

Healthcare Environmental Resource Center:



Sustainable Hospitals Project: www.sustainablehospitals.org

www.hercenter.org •

Health Care Without Harm:



Mercury in Health Care Fact Sheet: www.epha.org/a/2455



World Federation of Dentists

www.noharm.org •

Patient Brochure www.fdiworldental.org www.mercurypoisoned.com



Mercury in Vaccines: www.fda.gov/CBER/vaccine/thimerosal.htm



Or contact [email protected]

Module 4: Mercury Use in Hospitals and Dentistry

26

Suggest Documents