Environmental analysis for sustainable chemicals in health care

The healthcare sector, essential yet currently unsustainable, accounts for approximately 7% of national greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands. The CAREFREE project aims to develop strategies for reducing the environmental footprint of healthcare practices. We study gallbladder removal surgery, as it is one of the most common gastrointestinal procedures in the Netherlands. Currently, insight is lacking on how to reduce the impact of chemicals and materials used. We are studying three chemicals and alternatives:
1. Volatile Anesthetics: These are exhaled unchanged, leading to harmful emissions. Alternatives include intravenous anesthesia, which requires additional plastic syringes and pumps.
2. Trocars: Used to create ports into the body during surgery, trocars can be reusable (requiring sterilization) or disposable plastic, which may be recycled with advanced future technologies.
3. Pharmaceutical Residues: Annually, 190,000 kg of pharmaceuticals enter the sewage system, with current wastewater treatment plants removing only 50-60%. This leaves significant residues impacting humans and ecosystems. Separation technologies can reduce residues but require additional materials and cleaning cycles.
By analyzing these practices and their alternatives, we aim to identify trade-offs and develop strategies to reduce the environmental footprint of healthcare practices.