Healthcare "NO MORE HARM"
You thought going to the hospital for treatment was safe. Think again. The IV bags in hospitals have a substance leaching into your medication called Phthalates:
Dangers of Phthalates and DEHP
Phthalates, a family of industrial chemicals used to soften PVC plastic and as solvents in cosmetics and other consumer products, can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system — particularly the developing testes — according to animal studies.
Medical devices made of flexible PVC, such as IV bags and tubing, can leach the phthalate DEHP into patients, resulting in some of the highest exposures to this toxic chemical.
http://www.noharm.org/us_canada/issues/toxins/pvc_phthalates/phthalates.php
Aggregates Exposures to Phthalates in Humans:
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/pvc/Agg_Exposures_to_Phthalates.pdf
Neonatal Exposure to DEHP and Opportunities for Prevention:
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/pvc/Neonatal_Exposure_to_DEHP.pdf
Alternatives: So if alternatives exist then aren't they moving fast enough to remove the toxins from our hospitals. Here is a list, it is up to you to demand better health care, cleaner and safer products for your health.
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/pvc/Alternatives_to_PVC_DEHP.pdf
So why if they know that there are toxins in our IV bags would they continue to use these and not phase them out immediately. I guess they think well let's just use up what we already have on them. Being us the consumers.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can harm the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver. It is used throughout health care in a variety of products including thermometers, sphygmomanometers, dental amalgam, laboratory chemicals and preservatives such as thimerosal, cleaning agents, and various electronic devices such as fluorescent lamps and computer equipment.
Global Movement for Mercury-Free Health Care
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/mercury/Global_Mvmt_Mercury-Free.pdf
Mercury Problem : Fast Facts
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/mercury/Mercury_Problem_Fast_Facts.pdf
Mercury Thermometers and your Family's Health
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/mercury/Mercury_Thermometers.pdf
So you thought the air in the hospital must be the cleanest air you could possibly breathe. Think again: The chemical cleaners and disinfectants used in hospitals to clean are toxic, thus creating an unhealthy environment in a place you are supposed to go heal. Instead it is a toxic soup of chemicals which are a hazard to your health.
Everyone expects a hospital to be clean. However, many traditional cleaning products, floor strippers and disinfectants present a variety of human health and environmental concerns. They often contribute to poor indoor air quality and may contain chemicals that cause cancer, reproductive disorders, respiratory ailments (including occupational asthma), eye and skin irritation, central nervous system impairment and other human health effects.
http://www.noharm.org/us_canada/issues/toxins/cleaners_pesticides/cleaners.php
Cleaning chemicals in Hospitals Fact Sheet:
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/cleaners/Cleaning_Chem_in_Hosp.pdf
10 ReasonsTo Eliminate Glutaraldehyde: An industrial Disinfectant
Glutaraldehyde exposure in hospitals is a recognized cause of occupational asthma in many industrialized nations.
http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/cleaners/10_Reasons_Glutaraldehyde.pdf
Then you say well my hospital smells really good. They have these fragrances all over that make the air good. Wrong again. Fragrances are thought to be nice because we have been conditioned to think that clean has a smell when in fact these are just chemicals masking the air. Not only are they masking the air but are creating a health hazard in the place you are supposed to go heal, your hospital.
There can be up to 500 chemicals in one perfume. In most modern fragrances, up to 95 percent of these chemicals are petroleum-based.
If you really want to "What's that Smell" just look at the ingredients in fragranced products. And if you really want cancer, neurological problems respiratory disorders and more just sniff your perfumes, dryer sheets, cleaners some more.
http://www.fpinva.org/text/1a5d908-121.html
Just so you know natural means nothing in the industry. There is no definition for natural. The best way to know is to read, be informed , learn ingredients list and demand safer products for your family.
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston has made a fragrance free policy, if they can so can all the other hospitals, workplaces and institutions.
http://users.lmi.net/wilworks/ehnhompg/bwhosp.htm
