Clipping Board » Medical Harm ─ Unnecessary or inappropriate medical procedures can also cause harm.
Chinese Health Network Reporter Huang Zilun / Taipei Report October 12, 2012
The plasticizer controversy continues to escalate. Environmental groups held a press conference this morning on the 12th, stating that over 80% of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers are made of PVC, which contains plasticizers that can leach into medications or fluids and directly enter the bloodstream. The Department of Health has only set a daily "tolerable intake" standard without imposing regulations, while the national health insurance system allows the PVC medical material market to expand unchecked, undoubtedly exposing patients to the risks of plastic toxins.
Li Yiqian, director of the Taipei office of the Citizen of the Earth Foundation, pointed out that after the plasticizer incident, the Department of Health followed the EU's lead in setting daily tolerable intake standards for five types of plasticizers (0.05mg per kilogram of body weight). However, the Department of Health has failed to regulate the use of plasticizers (especially DEHP) in medical devices based on these standards.
Legislator Lin Shufen expressed concern, noting that in 2010, the number of critically ill patients in Taiwan reached 870,000. These individuals rely on long-term use of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers, making them a high-risk group for plasticizer exposure. For example, PVC gastrointestinal tubes used to feed premature infants expose them to plasticizer doses 3.5 times higher than the tolerable intake.
Dr. Jiang Shoushan, a nephrologist at Shin Kong Hospital, explained that PVC medical supplies not only carry the risk of plasticizer leaching but also come with usage instructions for certain medications explicitly advising against PVC materials for storage and delivery. For instance, lipid-containing total parenteral nutrition solutions and some anticancer drugs can accelerate plasticizer leaching, while insulin can be absorbed by PVC, reducing its efficacy. Nitroglycerin, used to dilate blood vessels and enhance heart function, presents both issues—it is absorbed by PVC while also causing significant plasticizer leaching.
Huang Shude, executive director of the Homemakers United Foundation, stated that even if the public is aware of the plasticizer content in PVC medical materials, they cannot pay out of pocket to request hospitals to provide safer, higher-cost alternatives. According to Article 12 of the "Contracting and Management Measures for Medical Service Institutions," "For items covered by national health insurance, contracted medical institutions must not request insured individuals to pay out of pocket or purchase medications, treatment materials, or tests themselves." Over 80% of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers are made of PVC, while PP materials, which do not contain the plasticizer DEHP, account for less than 20%.
Xie Helin, secretary-general of the Taiwan Watch Institute, urged the Department of Health to reassess national health insurance reimbursement standards based on medical material safety, offering more cost-appropriate pricing for safer alternatives. Furthermore, given that DEHP exposure may exceed daily tolerable limits, PVC medical materials should be banned where safer substitutes are available.
Cai Wenquan, section chief of the Medical Review and Pharmaceutical Materials Division of the National Health Insurance Administration, responded that currently, all reimbursed medical materials adhere to the standards set by the Food and Drug Administration. If no recall is mandated, reimbursement will continue.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……C% 89% E6% AF% 92- 044615911. html;_ylt=AqWvaN4qaarGp27Txrwp2wiVBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTQ2cW9xZm45BG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBIZWFsdGgEcGtnAzRkYmM0YjBmLTQ1NDUtM2E3NC05Y2QxLWFhOTEwNmY3NjQ4ZQRwb3MDNARzZWMDTWVkaWFTZWN0aW9uTGlzdAR2ZXIDODhkNmRmNDAtMTQzZC0xMWUyLWI5YjktNDZhNmM0MDU5ODc1;_ylg=X3oDMTFucXJnOGdpBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A2hvbWUEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3
Toxic Medical Supplies! 80% of Medical Tubes and Bags Poisonous
The plasticizer controversy continues to escalate. Environmental groups held a press conference this morning on the 12th, stating that over 80% of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers are made of PVC, which contains plasticizers that can leach into medications or fluids and directly enter the bloodstream. The Department of Health has only set a daily "tolerable intake" standard without imposing regulations, while the national health insurance system allows the PVC medical material market to expand unchecked, undoubtedly exposing patients to the risks of plastic toxins.
Li Yiqian, director of the Taipei office of the Citizen of the Earth Foundation, pointed out that after the plasticizer incident, the Department of Health followed the EU's lead in setting daily tolerable intake standards for five types of plasticizers (0.05mg per kilogram of body weight). However, the Department of Health has failed to regulate the use of plasticizers (especially DEHP) in medical devices based on these standards.
Legislator Lin Shufen expressed concern, noting that in 2010, the number of critically ill patients in Taiwan reached 870,000. These individuals rely on long-term use of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers, making them a high-risk group for plasticizer exposure. For example, PVC gastrointestinal tubes used to feed premature infants expose them to plasticizer doses 3.5 times higher than the tolerable intake.
Dr. Jiang Shoushan, a nephrologist at Shin Kong Hospital, explained that PVC medical supplies not only carry the risk of plasticizer leaching but also come with usage instructions for certain medications explicitly advising against PVC materials for storage and delivery. For instance, lipid-containing total parenteral nutrition solutions and some anticancer drugs can accelerate plasticizer leaching, while insulin can be absorbed by PVC, reducing its efficacy. Nitroglycerin, used to dilate blood vessels and enhance heart function, presents both issues—it is absorbed by PVC while also causing significant plasticizer leaching.
Huang Shude, executive director of the Homemakers United Foundation, stated that even if the public is aware of the plasticizer content in PVC medical materials, they cannot pay out of pocket to request hospitals to provide safer, higher-cost alternatives. According to Article 12 of the "Contracting and Management Measures for Medical Service Institutions," "For items covered by national health insurance, contracted medical institutions must not request insured individuals to pay out of pocket or purchase medications, treatment materials, or tests themselves." Over 80% of medical soft bags, tubes, and containers are made of PVC, while PP materials, which do not contain the plasticizer DEHP, account for less than 20%.
Xie Helin, secretary-general of the Taiwan Watch Institute, urged the Department of Health to reassess national health insurance reimbursement standards based on medical material safety, offering more cost-appropriate pricing for safer alternatives. Furthermore, given that DEHP exposure may exceed daily tolerable limits, PVC medical materials should be banned where safer substitutes are available.
Cai Wenquan, section chief of the Medical Review and Pharmaceutical Materials Division of the National Health Insurance Administration, responded that currently, all reimbursed medical materials adhere to the standards set by the Food and Drug Administration. If no recall is mandated, reimbursement will continue.Source: http:/ / tw. news. yahoo. com/ % E5……C% 89% E6% AF% 92- 044615911. html;_ylt=AqWvaN4qaarGp27Txrwp2wiVBdF_;_ylu=X3oDMTQ2cW9xZm45BG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBIZWFsdGgEcGtnAzRkYmM0YjBmLTQ1NDUtM2E3NC05Y2QxLWFhOTEwNmY3NjQ4ZQRwb3MDNARzZWMDTWVkaWFTZWN0aW9uTGlzdAR2ZXIDODhkNmRmNDAtMTQzZC0xMWUyLWI5YjktNDZhNmM0MDU5ODc1;_ylg=X3oDMTFucXJnOGdpBGludGwDdHcEbGFuZwN6aC1oYW50LXR3BHBzdGFpZAMEcHN0Y2F0A2hvbWUEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3