Dr Forbes McGain, Anaesthetist and Intensive Care Physician in Victoria, Australia, shows that hospitals need not be the gas guzzlers of the health world
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
McMichael AJ , Woodruffe RE, Hales S.Climate change and human health: present and future risks. Lancet2006; 367: 859-869
2.
Griffiths J.Environmental sustainability in the National Health Service in England. Public Health2006 ; 120: 609-612
3.
NHS Sustainable Development Unit.Saving I Carbon, Improving Health: NHS Carbon Reduction Strategy for England. London: NHS Sustainable Development Unit , 2009.
4.
Victorian Department of Human Services.Hospital Energy Reduction Opportunities Study. Melbourne: Victorian Department of Human Services, 2004 .
5.
Ratcliff A., Burns A., Gwinnutt CLThe contribution of medical nitrous oxide to the greenhouse effect . Health Trends1991; 23: 119-120
6.
Langbein T., Sonntag H., Trapp D., Hoffmann A., Malms W., Roth EP, Mors V., Zellner R.Volatile anaesthetics and the atmosphere: Atmospheric lifetimes and effects of halothane, enflurane, isoflurane, desflurane and sevoflurane. British Journal of Anaesthesia1999; 82: 66-73
7.
McGain F.Why anaesthetists should no longer use nitrous oxide. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care2007 ; 35: 808-809
8.
Lee BK, Ellenbecker MJ, Moure-Eraso R.Analyses of the recycling potential of medical plastic wastes. Waste Management2002; 22: 461-470
9.
Hutchins DCJ , White S.Coming round to recycling. British Medical Journal2009; 338: b609
10.
McGain F., Hendel S., Story D.An audit of recyclable waste from anaesthetic practice. Anaesthesia and Intensive Care2009 ; 37(5); 820-823
11.
Grant T., James KL, Lundie S., Sonneveld K.Stage 2 Report for Life Cycle Assessment for Paper and Waste Management Scenarios in Victoria. Sydney: CRC for Waste Management and Pollution Control, 2001.
12.
McGain F., Clark M., Williams T., Wardlaw T.Plastic recycling from the operating suite . Anaesthesia and Intensive Care2008; 36(6): 3-4
13.
Ison E., Miller A.The use of LCA to introduce life-cycle thinking into decision-making for the purchase of medical devices in the NHS. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management2000; 2(4): 453-476
14.
Adler S., Scherrer M., Ruckauer KD, Daschner FDComparison of economic and environmental impacts between disposable and reusable instruments used for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surgical Endoscopy2005; 19: 268-272
15.
Schaer GN, Ossi RK, Haller U.Single-use versus reusable laparoscopic surgical instruments: A comparative cost analysis. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology1995; 173(6): 1812-1815
16.
McGain F., Blashki GA, Moon KP, Armstrong FMMandating sustainability in Australian hospitalsMedical Journal of Australia2009; 190(12): 719-720
