The National Asthma Council Australia supports Advanced Pharmacy Australia’s MedsAware Week (10-16 March).
Medicines can have important benefits in curing and preventing diseases and improving symptoms. However, medicines can also impact the world around us.
Globally health systems account for 4.4% of all greenhouse gas emissions and in Australia this number sits even higher at 7%. Hospitals and medicines alone account for two thirds of the carbon footprint associated with health care in Australia.(1)
Better control of asthma often leads to less use of inhalers that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. That’s great news for both patients and the planet.
However, many Australians have asthma that is not well controlled. This contributes to a larger carbon footprint in Australia through inappropriate or unnecessary prescribing, dispensing and purchase of inhalers.
Poorly controlled asthma has a larger carbon footprint than well-controlled asthma mainly to use of SABA pMDIs. All asthma inhalers have an impact on the environment, but pMDIs have a much larger impact than other inhalers because they contain hydrofluorocarbon propellants, which are released during use and through leakage after disposal.
Annual Australian greenhouse gas emissions from SABA inhalers have been estimated to be equivalent to over 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide – as polluting as driving a petrol car from Sydney to Perth more than 360,000 times.(2)
Changing to non-propellant inhalers can reduce the carbon footprint of treatment for asthma, without affecting asthma control. It is important to choose the best inhaler for the individual, and demonstrate how to use it correctly.
We can also minimise waste by prescribing the right medications to treat asthma effectively, discouraging excessive over the counter purchases of inhalers and promoting return of used and unwanted inhalers to a pharmacy for safe and responsible disposal.
