REPLACEMENT OF MERCURY-CONTAINING PRODUCTS CAMPAIGN AS A COMMUNITY PHARMACY SERVICE

CÓRDOBA

Encuentro; III Reunión Internacional de Ciencias Farmacéuticas ? RICiFa 2014; 2014

Replacement of mercury-containing products campaign as a community pharmacy service. Tenllado MI, Uema S, Armando P y FACCOR1. E-mail: isatenllado@gmail.com 1Farmacéuticos Comunitarios de Córdoba. Colegio de Farmacéuticos de Córdoba. Corro 146. Córdoba. Argentina. Mercury fever thermometers and other devices can cause a serious health threat if they break, spill, or leak. Mercury is also found in lab chemicals, fluorescent light bulbs, and other products commonly used. At ambient temperature, it is a liquid which evaporates exposing people to high level of gas. A careful waste management is required to avoid the toxicity of organic mercury by environment pollution. To protect the health of communities worldwide, Health Care Without Harm and the WHO are co-leading a global partnership to achieve virtual elimination of mercury-based medical devices over the next decade. The Córdoba Pharmacists? Association has joined to this initiative in 2014. The aim of this work is to display the Association?s activities for training and informing professionals about replacement of mercury-containing products. A self-administered questionnaire related to management of small spills of mercury was adapted from the web site of the international initiative. The survey was conducted before a conference with 3 different consecutive speakers about the impact of mercury in health and environment, and the role of health professionals. A campaign was designed for replacement of mercury-containing products, focused on general population and based on community pharmacies. The conference took place on May 9, and 46 questionnaires were completed, but the audience was about 60 people. Most of the attendees were pharmacists (72%), and 65% were working in community pharmacies. Only 6 facilities had a protocol for managing small spills of mercury and 33% of surveyed persons checked they do nothing if a mercury thermometer breaks. Most hospitals and pharmacies should not be using or selling mercury-containing products. To disseminate information among health professionals and public is urgently needed. A general information brochure was designed for the campaign, which is ready to be launched on September-October. All efforts for awaking and being conscious of health threat and environmental pollution by mercury have to be carried out.