THE NEED: Petroleum in Medical Supplies

By:

Marina Rose and Alyssa Keeney

The Basics• Pumped from underground

• Cannot be used in natural state, crude oil

• Shipped to oil refineries to be separated into simpler mixtures (hydrocarbons)

• Non-renewable resource

Medical Supplies• That include petroleum in their

manufacturing…– Bandages– Vinyl gloves– Catheters– Medical films– Syringes– Masks

Location in Distillation Tower

Cost of Manufacturing • Rising petroleum prices increases the

costs of production of all substances made from petroleum based materials, and their transportation

• One hospital can obtain around $10.2 million worth of med. supplies

• Predicted inflations in years to come…– Surgical supplies by 2.8%– Supplies used by nurses by 2.4%– Clinical laboratory supplies by 3.9%

Transportation• Some supplies require specialized

handling

• Trains and cars

• Some transportation companies offer a complete routing and logistics plan to move supplies from the factory to the warehouse to the hospitals

Research and Development

• Healthcare distributors, manufacturers, and providers are working together – Developing new product packaging – Using less plastic in syringes and medical

gloves (vinyl gloves as an example)

Benefits• Makes treatments readily available and

usable

• Sanitation controllable

• Diseases cured

• Operations preformed

• Lives saved

How to Manufacture• Petroleum is used in the plastic components of

vinyl gloves and syringes• Vinyl gloves

– Once at glove factory: dipping, powdering, rinsing, and drying are all completed

• Syringes – Made in similar fashion to each other– Same basic components, including needle, barrel,

cap and plunger – Tube can be wide and hollow, or short and narrow

If Not Manufactured• Ways to induce treatment would be more

difficult

• People could possibly die

• Sanitation would decrease (gloves, masks)

Disposal of Waste• Some companies track the wastes of

hospitals from the hospital to where it is destroyed

• Provide Medical and Biohazardous Waste Management Services

• Some medical supplies can be donated after used– Scalpel handles and blades– Needle holders

Recycling of Medical Supplies

• Some medical supplies can be broken down to be used in asphalt and tar

Resources• http://www.syringemanufacturer.com/

• http://www.ama-assn.org

• http://www.usatoday.com

• http://www.biomedicalwastesolutions.com

• http://www.projecture.org

• Chemistry in the Community