- Develop institution-wide chemicals and materials policy and protocols to protect patient, worker, and community health and the environment, while helping drive societywide demand for alternatives.
- Implement a facility -specific chemicals action plan with benchmarks and timelines.
- Participate in the WHO-HCWH Global Mercury-Free Health Care Initiative by substituting all mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices with safe, accurate, affordable alternatives.
- Address the use of chemicals of concern, including, for example, glutaraldehyde, halogenated fire retardants, PVC, DEHP and BPA, and seek safer alternatives and substitutes.
- Adopt policies that require disclosure of chemical ingredientsin products and materials and seek to ensure that all ingredients have undergone at least basic toxicity testing.
- When products or materials are identified that contain Substances of Very High Concern – substances that have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction, or that are persistent and bioaccumulative or warrant similar concern – hospitals should make it a high priority to replace them with safer alternatives
