How can inhalers contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions? This is what a recent study published in JAMA hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated the environmental impacts of inhalers. This study has the potential to help scientists, medical professionals, and the public better understand the environmental impacts of medical devices and the steps that can be taken to mitigate their impacts.
For the study, the researchers conducted a statistical analysis of inhaler-related emissions, including scope, sources, and social costs, for inhalers used for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The data analyzed was from 2014 and 2024 with the goal of the study to ascertain the environmental impacts of inhalers. In the end, the researchers found that the approximate 1.6 billion inhalers examined for the study contributed an estimated 24.9 million metric tons of CO₂ from 2014 to 2024. The average annual output was approximately 2.0 million tons of CO₂ which accounted for an estimated 24 percent increase during that period.
“Inhalers add to the growing carbon footprint of the US healthcare system, putting many patients with chronic respiratory disease at risk,” said Dr. William Feldman, who is a pulmonologist and health services researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and lead author of the study. “On the upside, there is tremendous opportunity to make changes that protect both patients and the planet by utilizing lower-emission alternatives.”
Inhalers contribute to GHG emissions through the propellant inside the inhaler that delivers the medication, as opposed to the medication itself. As a result, researchers have suggested switching to dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and soft-mist inhalers (SMIs) as alternatives, with potential GHG reductions estimated to be approximately 90 percent.
How will inhalers contribute to GHG emissions in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: JAMA, EurekAlert!