Operating rooms biggest contributors of carbon emissions in healthcare industry, research says

One of the most feasible changes to make would be around waste reduction, scientists say

File: Workers dispose off waste at a hospital during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the coronavirus infection in Srinagar, India (AFP via Getty)

Operating rooms are the biggest source of greenhouse gasses from hospitals, generating three to six times more carbon than other healthcare systems, according to new research that suggests new ways to combat the problem.

Scientists say the healthcare industry accounts for about 8.5 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the US, with surgery being one of the biggest culprits in this space.

“Surgery unfortunately plays a disproportionate role in the carbon output and the waste we produce in medicine,” Victor Agbafe, a co-author of the research from the University of Michigan Medical School in the US said in a statement.