Neglected greenhouse gas discovered by atmosphere chemists (anaesthetic gasses)

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://chem.ku.dk/om/news/newslist/anaesthethic/

2010-11-04

Neglected greenhouse gas discovered by atmosphere chemists

When doctors want their patients asleep during surgery they gently turn the gas tap. But Anaesthetic gasses have a global warming potential as high as a refrigerant that is on its way to be banned in the EU. Yet there is no obligation to report anaesthetic gasses along with other greenhouse gasses such as CO2, refrigerants and laughing gas.

By Jes Andersen

Significantly worse than CO2

One kilo of anaesthetic gas affects the climate as much as 1620 kilos of CO2. That has been shown by a recent study carried out by chemists from University of Copenhagen and NASA in collaboration with anaesthesiologists from the University of Michigan Medical School. The amount of gas needed for a single surgical procedure is not high, but in the US alone surgery related anaesthetics affected the climate as much as would one million cars.

Think before you gas them

Analyses of the anaesthetics were carried out by Ole John Nielsen. He is a Professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, and he's got an important message for doctors.

"We studied three different gasses in regular use for anaesthesia, and they're not equally harmful," explains Professor Nielsen

All three are worse than CO2 but where the mildest ones Isoflurane and Sevoflurane have global warming potentials of 210 and 510 respectively, Desflurane the most harmful will cause 1620 times as much global warming as an equal amount of CO2, explains the professor.

…

Original paper:
http://chem.ku.dk/om/news/newslist/anaesthethic/OJN_205_BJA.pdf/

[FirstLight]

1. I'm sorry

but i will NOT give up my gas during dental work...it's a lifesaver!

[OnlinePoker]

2. To put it into perspective

The report estimates total anaesthetic procedures in the U.S. annually produce the equivalent of 660,000 T of CO2 annually. From consumption of energy, the U.S. produced in 2008 6,429 million tons. While still a lot, it's a drop in the bucket in comparison. The report states that the typical U.S. passenger car produces 5.03 tons of CO2 annually so the estimated 30 million procedures is the equivalent of 131,212 vehicles. For something vital to medical or dental procedures, I think this should be given a pass until a better method comes along (many people can't take injected anaesthetics, my mother-in-law being one).

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. You missed the key point

The key point is that some gasses are worse than others, so, anesthesiologists should keep that in mind while choosing which gas to use…

[OnlinePoker]

4. I agree 100%

I don't know how this stuff is marketed, though. Are all of these gases available everywhere or only in certain regions? This might limit the choice the anesthesiologists have in what they must use. It could also be hospital administrators dictating the use of whatever is cheapest and atmosphere be damned.