In an emergency, an inhaler can save a life. But the gas it releases contributes to global warming. Each of the most commonly prescribed inhalers has about the same climate warming impact as driving 100 miles in a gas-powered car. So doctors are starting to offer patients alternatives.
Dr. Miguel Divo shows his patient, Dr. Joel Rubinstein, a dry powder inhaler. It has a much lower carbon footprint than a traditional inhaler while being equally effective for many patients with asthma.
The gas contributes to global warming, which is linked to more fires, smoke, other types of air pollution and longer allergy seasons. These conditions can make breathing more difficult — especially for people with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — and increase their use of inhalers.
“For me, price is a big thing,” said Rubinstein, who has tracked health care and pharmaceutical spending for years. And inhaling the medicine using his own lung power was an adjustment: “The powder is a very strange thing, to blow powder into your mouth and lungs.”Rubenstein is one of a small number of U.S. patients who have made the transition. Only about 25% of Divo’s patients even consider switching. For many, dry powder inhalers are more expensive.
“The climate crisis makes these individuals have a higher risk of exacerbation and worsening their disease,” said Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer at the American Lung Association. “We don’t want the medications they're using to contribute to that.” Seeking affordable, effective and climate-friendly inhalers amid all these possible changes will be important for some hospitals as well as patients. Reducing inhaler emissions is afor hospitals working to lower their carbon footprint. Some see switching inhalers as “low-hanging fruit” on the list of climate change improvements a hospital might make. But other experts disagree.
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