Inhalers and the environment
| Frances Mortimer |
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Tue 1 Mar 2022, 14:10 If you have collected an inhaler from the pharmacy in Charlbury recently, you may have noticed a sticker on the box asking you please to return used or unwanted inhalers to the pharmacy for environmentally-safe disposal. This is because aerosol or "puffer" type inhalers contain HFC gases as propellants, which are extremely strong greenhouse gases. If inhalers are put in the normal rubbish, the remaining gases can escape and contribute to climate breakdown. The stickers are part of an NHS-wide initiative to reduce the environmental impact from inhalers, which by themselves make up 4% of the total carbon footprint of the health service. The carbon footprint of a Ventolin aerosol inhaler is 28 kgCO2e, equivalent to the emissions from driving 175 miles (e.g. from Charlbury to beyond Leeds). Other inhalers that don’t rely on HFCs have a much lower carbon footprint. For example, Dry Powder Inhalers (DPIs) rely on a strong breath to deliver the medicine to the lungs, and as such have just a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions (<1kg CO2e). The Charlbury Medical Centre and the Pharmacy are both looking into ways to reduce the carbon footprint of inhalers in and around Charlbury, so do ask them about it. If you would like to know more about the topic, this is a recent BBC article about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59997297 and there is also good info at https://greeninhaler.org . NB If you use an inhaler, definitely do not compromise your disease control or cut down on medications to reduce your carbon footprint. Things you could consider:
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