Umweltbundesamt
Click to enlargeAs long as the Covid-19 pandemic makes face-to-face events impossible, online conferencing formats serve to inform German SAICM stakeholders and provide opportunities for exchange with each other and with BMU and UBA. A series of online workshops focuses on different topics of chemicals management throughout the first half of 2021.
The online workshop took place on February 2, 2021, and focused on chemicals in healthcare, addressing the following issues:
At the beginning Dr. Jutta Emig from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment announced that due to the ongoing pandemic, the ICCM5 Bureau decided that the fourth meeting of the Intersessional Process (IP4) and the fifth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM5) that were scheduled for July 2021 had to be postponed indefinitely. Further information will be shared with SAICM stakeholders once the SAICM Bureau has decided on the process ahead. Dr. Emig´s intervention can be viewed from minute 10:40 of the recording.
Susan Wilburn from Health Care Without Harm introduced the issue of chemical hazards in health care settings, their implications for workers and patients as well as effective strategies to manage or avoid these risks. Ms. Wilburn invited participants to participate in the upcoming online event on chemicals of concern for the health sector on 25 February 2021. Her presentation can be viewed from minute 13:45 of the recording.
Arianna Gamba, Circular Healthcare Manager, presented Health Care Without Harm Europe's report Promoting safer disinfectants in the healthcare sector showing the final results of HCWH Europe’s SAICM 2.0 project, that aimed to reduce the unintended risks of disinfectants, without compromising on hygienic and occupational health standards. The report yields suggestions for product selection strategies, case studies on product substitution and information on innovative solutions in the field of sustainable disinfection practices. Ms. Gamba invited participants to get involved in HCWH Europe’s latest initiative, the Healthcare Market Transformation Network which aims at developing harmonised sustainable procurement criteria and to facilitate dialogue amongst producers, health professionals, suppliers and recyclers. Ms. Gamba’s presentation can be viewed from minute 42:40 of the recording.
German SAICM Focal Point Dr. Hans-Christian Stolzenberg (UBA) then offered his reflections on the issues addressed during the workshop and discussed implications for the now prolonged process leading up to ICCM5. Dr. Stolzenberg’s reflections can be viewed from minute 1:14:15 of the recording.
A more detailed report of the workshop can be found here. The video recording of the workshop can be downloaded here. Please note that the video file will remain online for 30 days.
The UBA’s motto, For our environment (“Für Mensch und Umwelt”), sums up our mission pretty well, we feel. In this video we give an insight into our work.
