Category: Env. 104 Posts
In Ziba Kaschef’s article, “Environmental and health impacts of U.S. healthcare system”, it is revealed that the U.S. healthcare sector contributes about 10% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. It uses mass amounts of energy in the form of heating, electricity, and energy-intensive goods and services. In addition, indirect emissions are generated by the suppliers that deliver the energy, goods, and services used at healthcare facilities. These emissions are connected with several specific environmental and health outcomes including global warming; ozone depletion; respiratory disease from air pollutants; cancer from chemical exposure; and the environmental effects of acid rain. Furthermore, according to new research, the U.S. healthcare system would rank 13th in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, ranking it “ahead of the entire United Kingdom”, as researchers estimate that these emissions increased over 30% in the past decade (Kaschef). This does not include emissions from other pollutants from the healthcare sector.
The impact pollutants from the healthcare sector have on public health are mostly estimations as the environmental effects are not often reported by healthcare providers. Though due to the U.S. healthcare system being closely connected with industrial activities that emit much of the nation’s pollution to air, water, and soil, their effects on the environment can be calculated. In 2013, the health care sector was responsible for 12% of acid rain, 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, 10% of smog formation, 9% of criteria air pollutants, 1% of the stratospheric ozone depletion, and around 1-2% for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic air toxics. These pollutants account for estimated health damages of 470,000 DALYs (disability-adjusted life years), which is a measure of years lost due to ill health, disability, or early death. This number corresponds with the 44,000 to 98,000 people who die in U.S. hospitals every year as a result of medical error (Eckelman and Sherman). As these health burdens are indirect, they are not attributed to our health system even though it has profound impacts on public health.
In addition, a lot of the waste produced by the U.S. healthcare system is inevitable due to efforts to safely care for patients (Kashef). Most of the tools and materials used for patient care are single-use to prevent the spread of infection but this practice increases discarded materials as a consequence. Therefore, it is no surprise that the U.S. healthcare system contributes so much to the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions as a lot of the practices within the medical field are designed to protect the safety of the patient by using the materials involved only once.
It is vital to bring to light the pollution that the healthcare system contributes to our nation’s total. Improving the safety and quality of our nation’s healthcare can be included in concentrated efforts to improve the environmental impact of the U.S. health system. Adopting strategies that improve hospitals’ access to renewable energy through environmentally friendly operational and building solutions such as the use of solar panels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, small changes in how medical supplies and services are utilized can result in substantial decreases in waste production. Furthermore, implementing water conservation efforts, using environmentally preferable supply chain management, safer cleaning chemicals, and serving healthier foods all will improve the ecological footprint of the healthcare sector. Resource conservation actions and education are extremely important to bridge the existing gap in the medical community and the indirect health consequences of wasteful practices and improve the U.S. health system as a result (Eckelman and Sherman).
References
Eckelman, M.J. and Sherman, J. 2016. Environmental Impacts of the U.S. Health Care System and Effects on Public Health. PLOS ONE 11(6): e0157014. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0157014.
Kashef, Z. (2016, June 9). Environmental and health impacts of U.S. healthcare system. Retrieved January 29, 2020, from https://news.yale.edu/2016/06/09/environmental-and-health-impacts-us-healthcare-syste.
