New approaches to pollution prevention in the healthcare industry

Since the 2000 inception of “Hospitals for a Healthy Environment” (H2E)—a US Environmental Protection Agency and American Hospital Association pollution prevention partnership—the healthcare industry has made a concerted effort to eliminate mercury and reduce other toxics. The Minnesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP), at the University of Minnesota, used H2E tools over the course of two years (2001–2003) to demonstrate the effectiveness of pollution prevention at healthcare facilities. As a result at least 22% of Minnesota hospitals are engaged in documented pollution prevention efforts. Twenty-nine facilities have eliminated 75% of their mercury or are working towards that goal. MnTAP was able to document healthcare facilities that have eliminated 394 lb of mercury, 751 gal of hazardous chemicals and 250,000 lb of solid waste, saving $152,600. MnTAP continues to provide pollution prevention assistance to the healthcare sector.