FYI: HCWH Europe publishes new report - Healthy & Sustainable Flooring Betreff: [Chemicals.

workinggroup] Dear colleagues, It is with great pleasure that I can announce our new report: Healthy & Sustainable Flooring, choosing resilient flooring for the European healthcare sector th in the run-up to our CleanMed Europe 2012 conference 26-28 September 2012 in Malmo, Sweden. The report looks at current floor choices between PVC flooring, linoleum and rubber and concludes that currently no ideal material exists, but some choices come close to achieving key desirable features with fewer chemical hazards. Please see the link to the Press Release: http://www.noharm.org/europe/news_hcwh/2012/sep/hcwh2012-09-20.php The actual report can be downloaded here: report double pages for on screen reading: http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/chemicals/2012_Flooring_report_dp.pdf report single page for printing: http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/chemicals/2012_Flooring_report_sp.pdf The report will also be available in paper copy at the exhibition centre of the CleanMed th conference http://www.cleanmedeurope.org/ 26-28 September 2012. We would be interested in receiving any feedback and comments to the report. Best wishes Anja Anja Leetz Executive Director Health Care Without Harm Europe (HCWH Europe) Tel: +49 6222 76 93 202 Mobile: +49 152 5397 8103 Fax: +32 2402 3023 Come and join us for CleanMed Europe in September in Malm, Sweden! http://www.cleanmedeurope.org/ Website: http://www.noharm.org/europe http://www.greenhospitals.net/ http://www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org/ Twitter <http://twitter.com/#!/HCWHeurope> ! Blog: http://hcwheurope.wordpress.com/

Press Release Better Flooring Choice could reduce Workers and Patients Exposure to harmful Chemicals Brussels: Health Care Without Harm Europe today launches a new report: Healthy & Sustainable Flooring, choosing resilient flooring for the European healthcare sector in the run-up to the CleanMed Europe conference in Malm, th Sweden, 26-28 September 2012. Choosing the right floor can be a challenge for procurers and facility managers in hospitals, affecting staff, patients and visitors alike, as the floor is one of the most extensive and visible parts of the healthcare environment and a long-term decision that cannot easily be reversed. The new report develops key decision criteria: sustainable hygiene, cost effective life and comfortable safety in order to assess the currently available flooring choices in the European market. PVC flooring, linoleum and rubber are compared. The ideal resilient flooring is non-toxic throughout its life cycle, practical (hygienic and easy to clean), durable, safe, silent underfoot, visually pleasant and cost-effective. The report concludes that currently no ideal material exists, but some choices come close to achieving key desirable features with fewer chemical hazards. Anja Leetz, Executive Director, HCWH Europe states: we do need to reduce the exposure to harmful chemicals and a good flooring choice could be part of this. This report will enable hospitals to make better choices, in the interest of their staff, patients and the environment. The report also shows that producers of flooring material need to continue research and development to produce more sustainable materials. Dr. Rye Senjen, the report author noted: asking the right questions and balancing decision criteria should be key to any flooring decision. Once the decision has been made it is important to specify in detail all the necessary performance and environmental requirements of the flooring Choosing flooring that has achieved a high quality environmental certification such as Blue Angel, NaturePlus or the Austrian Environmental Label will make this step a lot safer and easier. The report recommends avoiding PVC flooring, if taking into account the overall life cycle costs and the need for low environmental impact. Its manufacture and disposal involves the emission of unavoidable toxic compounds, particularly dioxins. It may also contain other toxicants such as plasticisers and flame retardants. Neither linoleum nor rubber contains chlorine (responsible for the dioxins associated with PVC manufacture and disposal) and both are also generally free from plasticisers. While linoleum may be suitable for many areas, it is not recommended for treatment rooms or operating theatres due to its potential for moisture adsorption. A number of available linoleum floorings have achieved ecolabel certification and if at all possible one of these should be chosen if deciding to use linoleum. When considering rubber flooring, it is essential to choose wisely by avoiding rubber flooring containing recycled tyres and focusing on high quality rubber flooring with an appropriate ecolabel. If chosen with an appropriate environmental certificate and appropriate surface quality, rubber flooring offers the best opportunity to combine reduced maintenance costs, good slip resistance, good acoustic properties and comfort. No stripping and waxing or use of aggressive chemicals for cleaning purposes are required to maintain rubber floors, reducing the exposure to chemicals of patients and carers alike. The report can be downloaded from HCWH Europe website: http://www.noharm.org/lib/downloads/chemicals/2012_Flooring_report_dp.pdf A paper version will be available at CleanMed Europe. Anja Leetz, Executive Director Health Care Without Harm Europe (HCWH Europe) Tel: +49 6222 76 93 202 Mobile: +49 152 5397 8103 Fax: +32 2402 3023 Come and join us for CleanMed Europe in September in Malm, Sweden! http://www.cleanmedeurope.org/ Website: http://www.noharm.org/europe http://www.greenhospitals.net/ http://www.mercuryfreehealthcare.org/ Twitter <http://twitter.com/#!/HCWHeurope> ! Blog: http://hcwheurope.wordpress.com/ Labels: http://www.blauer-engel.de/en/index.php http://www.natureplus.org/en/current-news/home/ http://www.umweltzeichen.at/cms/home233/content.html