What Role Does Environmental Regulations Play in Healthcare Technology?

Learn more about the environmental regulations and standards that shape medical computer design.

Consumers and governments around the world have high expectations for manufacturers to protect the environment. From medical computers to construction machinery, products are expected to preserve the environment and reduce resource consumption.

To this end, major regulatory bodies like the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union have instituted environmental regulations for computers and their manufacturers. By meeting these regulations, computer manufacturers help ensure that both the environment and human health concerns are protected.

Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)

Under the EPA's regulations, manufacturers and other sources of greenhouse gases are required to report how much CO2 they produce. CO2 is a major component of the greenhouse effect that causes global warming, which means tracking how much gets produced is critical. For medical computer manufacturers, most CO2 is produced during production and machining, where plastic and metal is shaped into the physical components of the computer.

This data is used by businesses and regulatory bodies to track emissions, identify opportunities to cut pollution, and minimize wasted energy. The GHGRP requires reporting from both direct emitters and upstream suppliers, ensuring that emissions do not go unmonitored.

Energy Star Compliance

The other important standard the EPA implements is Energy Star, which requires energy efficiency in electronic products like medical-grade tablets. Energy Star also regulates new and existing homes, commercial buildings, and other products.

The overall aim of Energy Star is to ensure all these energy consumers do so efficiently and without waste. This reduces the energy required nationwide and, in turn, the amount of pollution created to generate that energy. Energy Star-compliant computers are certified by third parties to be energy efficient and use up to 40% less energy than comparable models.

National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)

Toxic gasses like methylene chloride, toluene, and hydrochloric acid are all produced while manufacturing computers. These gasses play a critical role in the creation of halogenated solvents, magnetic tape, and semiconductors, and they must be captured and contained under the NESHAP regulations.

Ozone-Depleting Substances and SNAP

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) were once widely used in computer manufacturing, particularly as cleaning agents. However, CFCs and HCFCs also caused damage to the Earth's ozone layer, letting more ultraviolet rays into the atmosphere and leading to a higher risk of sunburn and skin cancer.

Fortunately, almost all CFCs and HCFCs have been phased out of use and can no longer be produced or imported into the United States. The Significant New Alternatives Policy program, or SNAP, is a constantly evolving list of alternatives for CFCs and HCFCs the EPA provides. This list is continuously updated as the EPA better understands the environmental and human health impacts of various substitutes.

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive

RoHS is a European Union initiative meant to reduce the amount of hazardous substances used in computers. Lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium are all materials regulated by RoHS, as they threaten human health and the environment if misused.

RoHS explicitly limits the amounts of these substances used in computers, especially those that can be substituted with safer alternatives. For example, lead and mercury are restricted to 1000 ppm (parts per million) within a device, ensuring they remain within tolerable levels. It also heavily promotes the recyclability of electronic devices, which ties into the following major environmental regulation…

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive

WEEE mandates the collection and recycling of electronic devices to prevent the materials regulated by RoHS from causing pollution. WEEE aims to achieve sustainability by separating the collection and treatment of electronic waste, prevents illegal waste exports that try to offload the burden of doing so onto other nations, and implements standards for electronic waste collection across the European Union.

By following WEEE guidelines, manufacturers minimize the use of hazardous materials and make it easier to recycle and reuse them.

Conclusion

With computers becoming ubiquitous across every industry, including healthcare, the need for strong environmental regulations surrounding them will only become more important. Cooperating with regulatory bodies and following their guidelines is the best way for medical computer manufacturers to ensure that human health and environmental concerns are protected.

If you’re looking for a medical computer manufacturer that meets the highest environmental safety standards, contact the Cybernet Manufacturing team. We’d happily explain further how our products meet international regulations without sacrificing quality or production capability.