REPORTS & PUBLICATION

REPORTS

Healthcare Waste in Asia

2010 |

Realizing the threats posed by healthcare waste, the Thematic Working Group on Solid and Hazardous Waste under the Regional Forum on Environment and Health considered it as an important area for action.The 3RKH and TWGSHW share common interests on healthcare waste as their priority areas. In view of this commonality, 3RKH was tasked with the assignment of preparing a Healthcare Waste status report. The task was initiated by 3RKH with the support from ADB and TWGSHW in turn supported by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOEJ). This report titled "Healthcare Waste in Asia: Intuitions & Insights" is the outcome of the study. Understanding the liability of the study and its possible reflection on future decisions, information sources were selected with due care. Ministries and organizations related to healthcare waste were considered the key sources of information.

Recent levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in sediments of the sewer system in Hanoi, Vietnam

2010 | Elsevier

The occurrence, temporal trend, sources and toxicity of PCBs and organochlorine pesticides were investigated in sediment samples from the sewer system of Hanoi City, including the rivers Nhue, To Lich, Lu, Set, Kim Nguu and the Yen So Lake. In general, the concentrations of the pollutants followed the order DDTs > PCBs > HCHs > HCB. However, the pollution pattern was different for the DDTs and PCBs when the sampling locations were individually evaluated. The concentrations of the DDTs, PCBs, HCHs, and HCB ranged from 4.4 to 1100, 1.3 to 384, <0.2 to 36 and <0.2 to 22 ng/g d.w., respectively.

Minding the Gap: Research Priorities to Address Pharmaceuticals in the Environment

2010 | Health Care Without Harm , School of Public Health: UIC

Worldwide, pharmaceuticals save millions of lives by preventing and treating diseases, and improve the quality of life for those with a chronic condition. But these lifesaving properties come with an environmental downside. Recent widespread detection of pharmaceuticals in our waterways has generated publicconcern over the potential environmental and human health impacts associated with exposure. The unintended movement of biologically active, toxic, and hormone-disrupting compounds from pharmaceuticals to wastewater effluents and drinking water sources is an international problem that has been documented and publicly reported by government experts and academic researchers for nearly two decades.

Environmental regulatory failure and metal contamination at the Giap Lai pyrite mine, Northern Vietnam

2008 | Elsevier

The causes for the failure in enforcement of environmental regulations at the Giap Lai pyrite mine in northern Vietnam are considered and the environmental impacts that are associated with this mine are evaluated. It is shown that sulphide-rich tailings and waste rock in the mining area represent significant sources of acid rock drainage (ARD). The ARD is causing elevated metal levels in downstream water bodies, which in turn, represent a threat to both human health and to aquatic ecosystems. Metal concentrations in impacted surface waters have increased after mine closure, suggesting that impacts are becoming progressively more serious. No post-closure, remediation measures have been applied at the mine, in spite of the existence of environmental legislation and both central and regional institutions charged with environmental supervision and control. The research presented here provides further emphasis for the recommendation that, while government institutions may need to be strengthened, and environmental regulations need to be in place, true on the ground improvement in environmental quality in Vietnam and in many other developing countries require an increased focus on promoting public awareness of industrial environmental issues.

Understanding and simplifying bio-medical waste management

2005 | Health Care Without Harm

The issue of medical waste management was first taken up in India around 1995.A lot has changed since then in the way medical waste is handled, stored, treated and disposed. An important catalyst to this change have been the Bio-medical Waste (Management &Handling) Rules 1998. Framing the rules was one important aspect of waste management, but implementing the rules required that the medical fraternity understood the rules and adopted them into their professional environments. This was possible only through large-scale training of medical staff. Considering the geographical spread of India, and the size of its medical sec-tor, this has been, and continues to be, a challenging task. Srishti, a programme of Toxics Link, has played its part in training healthcare professionals regarding medical waste management and the implementation of management systems in hospitals and other medical institutions.

Strategic Plan on Management of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining in Combodia 2012-2016

2011 | UNEP

The Strategic Plan on Management of Mercury in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (SPASGM) was prepared by the Department of Environmental Pollution Control (DEPC), the Ministry of Environment (MOE), with support from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). This strategic plan was developed in response to various concerns on safe use and sound management regarding intentional mercury use in Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM). This SPASGM is also developed and implemented to support existing legal frameworks, national strategies, action plans and many other relevant technical papers. Technical support for this development was administered by the UNEP Chemicals Branch through the Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) Project with in-kind contributions from the Royal Government of Cambodia.

The kNOwWaste Knowledge Platform was developed through a Project Cooperation Agreement funding by UNEP on 2016. The platform provides data and information on holistic waste management to stakeholders in Asia and the Pacific region. The platform was developed with the following aims: generate and consolidate data or information on holistic waste management, transform data into easily comprehensible outputs for use by key stakeholders, map out and disseminate information on international waste management projects under the GPWM and UNEP projects as well as other international partners, and provide capacity building support through dissemination of data or information support for relevant stakeholders on holistic waste and waste management system.
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