BD is concerned about the potential environmental, health and safety (EHS) impacts of the products we develop for the marketplace and in our manufacturing, distribution and administrative operations.

In the marketplace, for instance, BD Biosciences saves both time and money for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies pursuing the development of new drugs. These companies screen hundreds of thousands of compounds to identify suitable drug candidates. Eliminating toxic compounds early in the process can save them time and money. By combining technologies from BD Biosciences units, BD has been able to offer in vitro drug toxicity tests that provide high-value solutions to pharmaceutical customers. Screening in the early stages of drug discovery increases productivity and helps researchers focus on promising drug candidates early in the process.

BD offers a wide range of products for the safe collection and disposal of sharps products (needles, syringes and other devices) after use. BD sharps collection products meet all sharps collector standards, including those of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

BD recognized early on that single-use disposable medical products pose environmental challenges. However, these products are key to preventing the spread of disease from the reuse of potentially contaminated syringes. The public health benefits of single-use disposable syringes offsets the environmental issues associated with their disposal.