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ntil recently, clinicians have had few options for carrying out lab work in ways that protect the environment. It‘s not for


lack of interest or desire. We just have so many other things to protect. Patients’ health, for example. Te integrity of our test results. Te budget—especially when we must answer to shareholders or are publicly funded. For these reasons, medical science has long put its practitioners at odds with “going green.” As a result, our ecological footprint threatens to be this industry’s most enduring legacy. Fortunately, change is coming.


Innovative companies are bringing new opportunities to apply the Environmental Protection Agency’s “reduce, re-use and recycle” mantra to medical setings. Tanks to earth-friendly advances in materials, manufacturing and waste management, the goal of an environmentally sustainable lab is within reach. Tat’s welcome news, particularly to those of us in industries connected to life sciences.


Scientists are Committed to Green According to Te Linus Group, a


marketing and communication firm specializing in life sciences, people who work in scientific fields are generally more informed and conscientious about being “green” than people in non-scientific fields.1


Outside the lab, we’re more likely


to choose eco-friendly transportation by carpooling, taking public transit or driving hybrids or other fuel-efficient cars. Most also make concerted efforts to conserve energy and water, eat organic foods and limit personal use of harmful chemicals. It is particularly grievous to most


clinicians, then, to practice a profession that requires so many non-reusable items. “We have more [Vendor Name]


styrofoam containers in this lab; we could 18 datia focus


build an igloo to house every Eskimo from here to Juneau. It’s hideous …I get to feel like a dirty horrible pariah, sneaking out to the dumpster,” said one participant in Te Linus Group study. Clearly, single-use medical products


provide clinical and public health benefits. They play an important role in preventing cross-contamination that could compromise a test result or injure a patient. They also add up to a lot of landfill space. According to one study, the health care sector is responsible for dumping up to 4 billion pounds of medical waste into landfills annually.2 One medical supplier is working to remedy this problem in a unique way— from within the landfill itself.


Earth-Friendly Disposables Integrity Products (integritygreen.


com) recently launched the industry’s first biodegradable line of specimen collection cups. Normal plastic cups, such as those DATIA members use every day, can sit in a landfill for hundreds of years. Integrity Products cups are different. Tey are formulated to biodegrade faster, thanks to a special additive. Te additive makes the plastic atractive to hungry microorganisms in microbe rich environments such as landfills. Microbes digest the plastic and leave behind humus, methane, and carbon dioxide. Integrity Products specimen cups also


feature a slim wall design that reduces the amount of plastic used per cup. One benefit of this slimmer design is cost savings. Less plastic per cup means less weight per case, resulting in lower shipping costs. According to SPI, the plastics industry


trade association, lighter weight plastics also benefit the environment. “When plastic gets lighter, it also gets


thinner and more crushable. Te result is that more plastic items can be squeezed


into a given volume of landfill space today than could fit 10 or 20 years ago.”3 Another supplier offering lighter


plastic products to save landfill space is glove manufacturer Sempermed USA, Inc. (sempermedusa.com). Te company markets itself as “people protection,” but is making strides in protecting the environment as well. Its Nitrile gloves are manufactured thinner than standard nitrite gloves to minimize their environmental impact. For a more biodegradable solution, Sempermed offers latex gloves, made from natural rubber.4


Recycled Medical Waste To avoid the landfill altogether,


Becton, Dickinson and Company (bd.com) has partnered with Waste Management Healthcare Solutions to implement a medical waste recycling program. Through its new BD ecoFinity™ Life Cycle Solution service, WM collects filled BD sharps containers from hospitals and sterilizes them at a licensed medical waste treatment facility. A local recycling company recovers the raw materials (e.g., plastics), which BD uses to create new products, including BD Recykleen™ collectors.5 Reusing medical supplies can also


keep them out of landfills, but requires strict compliance with government regulations. By collecting, cleaning and disinfecting sharps for reuse, Stericycle (www.stericycle.com) Sharps Management Service has kept more than 73 million disposable containers out of landfills.


Sustainable Processes Sustainability is not limited to products,


but extends to processes as well. Companies commited to sustainability are geting creative, turning their waste into energy. Remember those naturally biodegradable rubber gloves from Sempermed? When latex can no longer be harvested from the


winter 2012


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