Chemical exposures on the job may be linked to diseases in nurses.First ever national survey finds widespread exposure to chemicals and radiation and almost no mandatory workplace health protections. WASHINGTON -- A first ever national survey of nurses' exposures to chemicals, pharmaceuticals and radiation on the job suggests there are links between serious health problems such as cancer, asthma, miscarriages and children's birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. and the duration and intensity of these exposures. The survey included 1,500 nurses from all 50 states. The results were released online in December 2007 at, http://www.ewg.org/reports/ nursesurvey, by the Environmental Working Group, the American Nurses Association American Nurses Association, n.pr professional organization of registered nurses created to encourage high standards in nursing care, pro-mote nursing as a profession, and lobby Congress for issues of concern to nurses. , Health Care Without Harm, the Environmental Health Education Center at the University of Maryland University of Maryland can refer to:
Every day, nurses confront low-level but repeated exposures to mixtures of hazardous materials that include residues from medications, anesthetic anesthetic Agent that produces a local or general loss of sensation, including pain, and therefore is useful in surgery and dentistry. General anesthesia induces loss of consciousness, most often using hydrocarbons (e.g. gases, sterilizing and disinfecting chemicals, radiation, latex latex, emulsion of a polymer (e.g., rubber) in water (see colloid). Natural latexes are produced by a number of plants, are usually white in color, and often contain, in addition to rubber, various gums, oils, and waxes. , cleaning chemicals, hand and skin disinfection disinfection, n the process of destroying pathogenic organisms or rendering them inert. disinfection, full oral cavity, n a procedure used to reduce active periodontal disease, usually completed within a certain short time frame. products, and even mercury escaping from broken medical equipment. There are no workplace safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. to protect nurses from the combined effects of these exposures on their health. "Nurses are exposed daily to scores of different toxic chemicals and other hazardous materials whose cumulative health risks have never been studied," said Jane Houlihan, Vice President for Research at Environmental Working Group. "Nurses ingest in·gest tr.v. in·gest·ed, in·gest·ing, in·gests 1. To take into the body by the mouth for digestion or absorption. See Synonyms at eat. 2. , touch or breathe residues of any number of these potentially harmful substances as they care for patients, day after day and face potential but unstudied health problems as a result." "This survey is a call to action for nurses to demand the use of safer products and protective measures to control exposures to hazardous agents in the workplace," said Anna Gilmore Hall, RN, executive director of Health Care Without Harm, an international coalition working to reduce the environmental impact of the health care sector. The Centers for Disease Control proposed a National Occupational Exposure Survey for the health care industry in 2002. To date, no such survey has been initiated to better understand the range of potentially hazardous chemical exposure in the health care industry and related illnesses. "For many of the toxic chemicals in hospitals there are safer alternative or safer processes. We must make these healthier choices for the sake of our patients, nurses and all hospital employees," said Barbara Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN FAAN abbr. Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing , Professor and Director of the Environmental Health Education Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. "ANA is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of nurses and their patients," said Rebecca M. Patton, MSN (1) (MicroSoft Network) A family of Internet-based services from Microsoft, which includes a search engine, e-mail (Hotmail), instant messaging (Windows Live Messaging) and a general-purpose portal with news, information and shopping (MSN Directory). , RN, CNOR CNOR Certified Nurse Operating Room CNOR Canadian Northern Railway Company CNOR Command Not Operationally Ready , President, American Nurses Association. "We are pleased to work with our partners to bring attention to the growing concern over chemical exposures in the workplace, and ANA will continue its efforts on behalf of the nursing profession to create healthier working environments." Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, DC that uses the power of information to protect human health and the environment. Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of over 460 organizations in more than 50 countries, working to transform the health care sector so it is no longer a source of harm to people and the environment. The Environmental Health Education Center at the University of Maryland School of Nursing engages in education, practice, research, and policy regarding the relationship between the environment and human health. The School of Nursing, founded in 1889, is one of the oldest and largest nursing schools, and is ranked seventh nationally. Enrolling more than 1,600 students in its baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral programs, the School develops leaders who shape the profession of nursing and impact the health care environment. American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation's 2.9 million registered nurses through its 54 constituent member nurses associations. The ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the rights of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies regulatory agency Independent government commission charged by the legislature with setting and enforcing standards for specific industries in the private sector. The concept was invented by the U.S. on health care issues affecting nurses and the public. |
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