By Jenny F. Manongdo
The Department of Health (DoH) and the Health Care Without Harm yesterday called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to immediately designate storage spaces for mercury thermometers in line with the complete phase-out by 2010.
"Recognizing the necessary risks posed by the continued use of mercury-containing products in the health care system, the DoH hereby orders that all hospitals shall immediately discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers to patients through the distribution of hospital admission/discharge kits."
Dept. of Health
"We call on the DENR because up to now, we cannot identify the area where we can store mercury waste. We cannot leave it to the health care facilities that have been patiently storing mercury waste inside their facilities which we think is safe but the DENR should identify the place where they could be stored," Faye Ferrer, HCWH-Southeast Asia program coordinator said in a conference yesterday.
Dr. Edwin Sanchez, chairman of the DoH committee on mercury phase-out said DENR should come out with a safety vault for mercury thermometers.
"Mercury as an element can't be disposed so we need a safe storage for mercury thermometers until such time that we find a technology in which they can be disposed safely," he said.
The DoH official said the DENR Environmental Management Bureau us the agency mandated to provide storage for mercury thermometers after the DoH issued AO 0021 last August 11, 2008 stating the gradual phase out of mercury thermometers in all health facilities nationwide.
"Mercury is highly toxic especially when metabolized into metyl mercury. It may be fatal if inhaled and harmful if absorbed through skin. Around 80 percent of the inhaled mercury vapor is absorbed in the blood through the lungs. It may cause harmful effects to the nervous, digestive, respiratory, immune systems and to the kidneys, besides causing lung damage. Adverse health effects from mercury exposures can be tremors, impaired vision, and hearing, paralysis, insomnia, emotional instability, developmental deficits during fetal development and attention deficit and developmental delays during childhood," the DoH official said in the administrative order.
"Recognizing the necessary risks posed by the continued use of mercury-containing products in the health care system, the DoH hereby orders that all hospitals shall immediately discontinue the distribution of mercury thermometers to patients through the distribution of hospital admission/discharge kits," DoH cited in the general provisions of the AO.