Covenant Health System

Year Submitted: 2004

Process: Healthcare Services

Industry: Medical Facility

Wastes Reduced: Mercury

Location: Lubbock TX

No. of employees: 4000

Contact: Cynthia Meason

Phone: 806/725-6105

Description:

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P2 Application:

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Video: 1

• Total Cost Savings: $5,580.00
• Comments: Cost of the project: Tungsten esophageal dilators are $3500 per set. 20 sets replaced $70,000 Non-mercury thermometers $1,000 Non-mercury blood pressure monitors (Aneroids) 150 ($79/wall) $11,850 359 ($158/roll) $56,722 90 ($30/manual cuff) $2,700 Contract labor for removal/replacement 107 hours $3,500 Labor estimate of in-house staff $3,500 Disposal of drained mercury and mercury debris $5,000 Grand Total Estimate $154,272 Average mercury spill labor, supplies and associated costs $20,000 per year. Cost recovery of project should be seven years.

Details of Reductions

• Mercury
  Comments: 100% of mercury was elminated from the hospital. Approximate total cost for implementing the project was $112,359. It cost approximately $18 per pound of mercury for disposal, which does not include labor or transportation.

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  Comments: Lowering or eliminating mercury use, lowers the hazardous waste volume created which helps the environment as a whole to prevent pollution. Biotransformation of mercury into our food source, like fish, is the most toxic form of mercury poisoning. Simply deciding not to use mercury products will cause a trickle-down process and collectively eliminate mercury from our water sources through leaching or perculation to the water table or to our lakes. Water treatment systems (Publically Owned Treatment of Waste or POTW) can not eliminate mercury and other heavy metals from our water sources.

Additional Information :

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Source: TCEQ