The Greening of Medicine

Andy Williamson, a successful jazz musician, has embarked on another line of work in the years since his transplant operation: patient activism. more 

Regional Meeting Moves Medical Waste Management Forward in Asia

HCWH and strategic partners HealthCare Foundation Nepal (HECAF) and Toxics Link (India) participated in a three-day healthcare waste management workshop convened by the WHO Regional Office for South East Asia. more 

In Memorium, Yves Chartier

We are deeply saddened to report to you that our friend and colleague Yves Chartier died in a tragic accident in the Jura mountains while snowshoeing with his family outside of Geneva this past Sunday January 8. more 

Shun the use of mercury-based instruments, advocates PPCB

Excerpt: "The Punjab Pollution Control Board in association with the Indian Medical Association and Toxics Link, New Delhi, organised a workshop on the hazards of mercury at Dumra Auditorium, Dayanad Medical College here today. It stressed the need for replacing mercury-equipped instruments with aneroid-based instrument."  more 

Dr. Paul Epstein, Climate and Health Leader, Is Dead at 67

Excerpt: "Dr. Paul Epstein, a public health expert who was among the first to warn of a link between the spread of infectious disease and extreme weather events, adding a new dimension to research into the potential impact of global climate change, died on Sunday at his home in Boston. He was 67."  more 

Pollutants Linked to 450 Percent Increase in Risk of Birth Defects in Rural China

Excerpt: "Two of the pesticides found in high concentrations in the placentas of affected newborns and stillborn fetuses were endosulfan and lindane."  more 

WHO-HCWH Mercury-Free Update for INC3

WHO and HCWH have produced an update on the Global Mercury-Free Healthcare Initiative that charts progress toward the goal of virtual elimination and substitution of mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices around the world by 2017. more 

WHO Releases Technical Guidance on Substituting Mercury Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers

WHO has issued a Technical Guidance Document for the safe substitution of non-mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers in health-care settings. more 

Mercury Elimination Guides for Hospitals

In order to scale-up the replacement of mercury–based medical devices around the world, HCWH has put together a guide that systematizes the basic steps in mercury substitution. more