Green Inhaler Project
Did you know that in the UK, inhalers account for 3 to 4% of the whole NHS carbon footprint?
Metered dose inhalers (MDIs), such as those used for delivering some asthma or COPD medication, use 'hydroflouroalkanes (HFA) propellants' which are potent greenhouse gases. These gases are 1000 to 3000 times more potent than carbon dioxide (CO2). In the UK approximately 70% of inhalers used are MDIs which is much higher than many other European countries.1
To reduce the carbon footprint of inhaler prescribing the Welsh Government recommend health professionals to:
- Optimise asthma and COPD care
- Use dry powder inhalers or soft mist inhalers as first-line treatment options where clinically appropriate
- If metered dose inhalers (MDIs) are needed, then chose a brand and dosage regime with care to minimise carbon footprint
For our patients this might mean:
- A change in your inhaler. As some inhalers have a greater carbon footprint than others, your clinician might discuss changing your inhaler to one that is lower. Generally this might mean moving from an MDI to a dry powder inhaler.
- A change in your prescription dosage, selecting the most appropriate strength inhaler to minimise the number of puffs required for the same dose. For example, 1 puff of 200mcg Clenil twice a day rather than 2 puffs of 100mcg Clenil twice a day. This can effectively halve the carbon footprint of treatment.
We hope that in the future there will also be the opportunity to offer a recycling service for used inhalers, allowing the harmful HFA gases to be recycled safely. We will update on this once we have further details.
We very much hope that a large number of people making small changes will have a bigger impact overall than a small number of people making big changes.