Version 1
: Received: 27 September 2024 / Approved: 29 September 2024 / Online: 30 September 2024 (10:45:21 CEST)
How to cite:
Wang, J.; DasSarma, S. Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives. Preprints2024, 2024092324. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2324.v1
Wang, J.; DasSarma, S. Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives. Preprints 2024, 2024092324. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2324.v1
Wang, J.; DasSarma, S. Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives. Preprints2024, 2024092324. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2324.v1
APA Style
Wang, J., & DasSarma, S. (2024). Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2324.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Wang, J. and Shiladitya DasSarma. 2024 "Contributions of Medical Greenhouse Gases to Climate Change and Their Possible Alternatives" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202409.2324.v1
Abstract
Considerable attention has recently been given to the contribution of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the healthcare sector to climate change, which represents 4-6% of emissions worldwide. GHGs used in medical practice are regularly released into the atmosphere and contribute to elevation in global temperatures that produce detrimental effects on the environment and human health. Consequently, a comprehensive assessment of their global warming potential (GWP) characteristics and clinical uses, many of which have evaded scrutiny from policy makers due to their medical necessity, is needed. Of major interest are volatile anesthetics, analgesics, and inhalers, as well as fluorinated gases used as tamponades in retinal detachment surgery. In this review, we compare estimates of these gases’ GHG emissions in metric tons CO2 equivalent (MTCO2e) and their relative GWP. Notably, the anesthetics desflurane and nitrous oxide contribute the most emissions out of the major medical GHGs, equivalent to driving 12 million gasoline-powered cars annually in the US. Retinal tamponade gases have markedly high GWP up to 23,500 times compared to CO2 and long atmospheric lifetimes up to 10,000 years, thus bearing the potential to contribute to climate change long-term. This review provides the basis for discussions on examining the environmental impacts of medical gases with high GWP, determining whether alternatives may be available, and reducing emissions while maintaining or even improving patient care.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Sustainable Science and Technology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
