The world is catching up to UHN and it’s a good thing.  At the beginning of this year the world’s governments got together and signed an important treaty  that will lead to the phase out of mercury containing products in health care this decade.  This is a big step forward on the issue that put greening health care on the table for UHN way back in 2000 when we started our mercury phase out program.

I remember the day clearly.  I was a student and I had audited all the nooks and crannies at TGH looking for mercury thermometers and blood pressure cuffs (sphygmomanometers).  I had come up with a number of how many items, and how much mercury TGH had to get rid of.  I was going to share my results with my boss (it was Ed even back then) and his boss and others that were equally concerned about this potent neurotoxin getting into the water supply or breaking on a patient room floor and causing much distress for anyone who had to come and clean it up.

Now let me dust off that file and see what that magic number was.  I estimated we had about 350 kg of mercury at TGH, 93% of which was likely in about 1574 blood pressure cuffs.  That is a lot of mercury but pretty standard for a hospital just a decade ago. Considering that Health Canada says that fish containing 0.5 micrograms (1 millionth of a gram) of mercury is not safe to eat, 350 kg could contaminate a lot a fish, habitats and people.

Good news, we got that mercury out of here and disposed of it safely. By 2008 we were virtually mercury free at TGH, TWH and PMH.  And we did it way before the world agreed it was a good idea.

But good ideas travel at a moderate strolling pace and the World Health Organization and Health Care Without Harm who have never forgotten how miserable mercury can make the planet, have just announced that there will be an end to the manufacture, import and export of
mercury thermometers and blood pressure devices by 2020.

Another step closer to health care that does not create health problems for UHN and the world.  Way to go world!