Concern for IV bags

[3435]

Hi everyone,

Our hospital is currently changing their IV bags to bags that are DEHP free. DEHP is a plastizier added to make plastic soft. DEHP might be harmful. Has anyone heard of this. I cannot believe it.

[cassioo]

There is a CEU on RN.com about environmental waste in hospitals and it addresses plastics. CEU's are $5 I think or all you want for $29/year

[1mg.epi]

There was an article about that chemical in babies toys that made the plastic soft. As children chewed on the toy the chemical would come out into the childrens system. The rubber toy would start to harden as the chemical was extracted by the child. The chemical is used to make hard plastics soft. The effects at the time of the artical were unknown.

[John-Texas]

DEHP has been shown to cause cancer, damage heart liver, testes and other organs. For more info check the link bellow.

John.

http://www.nursingworld.org/tan/99marapr/ivbags.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ost/dehp-pvc.pdf

[nursinghumor]

It's been a matter of concern for quite some time. It' a major ingredient in perfumes, fragrances, nail polish and cosmetics as well.


B. Braun Medical Demonstrates Leadership in Providing Safer DEHP-free Device Options for Preemies, Neonates, and Other At-Risk Populations:"To help improve patient outcomes and enable healthcare providers to comply more rapidly with FDA recommendations concerning limiting exposure to DEHP, a plasticizer in some PVC-based devices, B. Braun Medical Inc. announced today that over 80% of its IV administration and medication pump sets are DEHP-free. In addition, 100% of its basic IV solution containers are DEHP-free. These numbers reflect a Company-wide philosophy that innovation should also reflect high safety and environmental standards.

DEHP, listed by the State of California as a reproductive toxicant, can harm the normal development of the male reproductive system in premature neonates, toddlers and adolescent boys(a,b). Healthcare providers are encouraged by the FDA to avoid DEHP products where possible, especially in perinatal and neonatal care(c). B. Braun, the leading supplier of DEHP-free IV solution containers and infusion devices in the United States, provides clinicians and patients safer alternatives to DEHP-plasticized PVC intravenous medical products."
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...mp;newsLang=en

Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursefriendly.com