"Clean" Means Chemical Exposure for Nurses

You know how I love to harp on you about greening your cleaning? Well there’s more research building on the topic of hazardous chemical exposure from cleaning products. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that group warns that nurses face health risks from chemical exposure.

From the SFG, “The very chemicals used to keep hospitals squeaky clean and to treat patients could be harmful to nurses who are exposed to them in their daily duties, according to a study released Tuesday by an Oakland environmental group.”

The researchers involved are from the Environmental Working Group and Health Care Without Harm. The problems are related to too few regulations to limit chemical exposure and too little knowledge about the extent of toxins in the work environment.

The chemical exposure is from a wide range of materials from anesthesia to shampoo and soap. While many of these are part of specialized work, other more generic products and chemicals can be eliminated from the environment to decrease overall chemical exposure on the job.

The health effects (from SFG)

• Nurses who were regularly exposed to chemicals reported higher incidences of cancer, asthma and miscarriages than their peers with limited exposure.
• Nurses who were regularly exposed to chemicals while pregnant had children with higher incidences of birth defects than the children of nurses with limited exposure.

Around San Fran…(from SFG)

Several Bay Area hospitals are limiting the amount of vinyl materials they use in everything from floors and walls to medical devices because chemicals used to make vinyl have been tied to cancer and birth defects.

At Stanford University Medical Center and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, newly hired nurses are given a physical that includes looking at the chemicals in their bodies. They are then offered free annual physicals to monitor their exposure to chemicals as well as other physical ailments.

And, my fellow green building enthusiasts, green building plays a huge role in this issue. Around the country, hospitals are getting greener for better energy-efficiency, to be more environmentally friendly and to reduce toxins from the work place. Check out The Top 10 Greenest Hospitals in the U.S. at the Green Guide. Also Green Hospital Program Launched at California Green Solutions and PVC Elimination Prominent in Hospitals at Healthy Building News and one more, A Breath of Fresh Air — Green Hospital Environments on the Rise at ED&C Magazine.