Carbon footprint of a laser unit: a study of two centres in the UK

Climate change has serious consequences for our wellbeing. Healthcare systems themselves contribute significantly to our total carbon footprint, of which emissions from surgical practice are a major component. The primary sources of emissions identified are anaesthetic gases, disposal of single-use equipment, energy usage, and travel to and from clinical areas. We sought to quantify the waste generated by laser surgery which, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported.

The carbon footprint of two laser centres operating within the United Kingdom were measured. The internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol was used as a guiding framework to classify sources of waste and conversion factors issued by the UK government were used to quantify emissions.

The total carbon footprints per day at each unit were 299.181 carbon dioxide equivalents (kgCo₂eq) and 121.512 kgCO₂eq, respectively. We found the carbon footprint of individual laser treatments to be approximately 15 kgCO₂eq per procedure. The biggest overall contributor to the carbon footprint was found to be the emissions generated from staff, patient and visitor travel. This was followed by electricity usage, and indirect emissions from physical waste and laundry.

The carbon footprint of laser procedures was considerably less than the average surgical operation in the UK. This initial study measures the carbon footprint of a laser center in a clinical setting and allows us to identify where improvements can be made to eventually achieve a net carbon zero health care system.