Mikulewicz, M., & Chojnacka, K. (2026). Safer healthcare substitution needs life-cycle evidence: Lessons from the post-amalgam transition. Environmental Science & Technology, 60(40), 28150–28152. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6c13088
Abstract
Replacing a hazardous material is not the same as designing a safe and sustainable substitute. A transition can begin with a justified decision to remove a known hazard, yet a phase-out milestone does not establish that the substitute is safe and sustainable. It does not show what replaces the incumbent, how the substitute performs, or where its constituents travel across the life cycle. Major healthcare substitutions should be treated as prospective environmental decisions, not product swaps completed once clinical acceptability is shown.