Why using inhalers may be dangerous, new study reveals

Researchers now say that use of inhalers may not good for the environment.

Sky News reports that the study compared inhalers to meat and resulting pollution from fossil fuel usage, animal methane, effluent waste as well as water and land consumption.

“Replacing just 10% of them with the cheapest equivalent dry-powder inhaler, which have a carbon footprint between 10 and 37 times lower, could save the NHS £8.2million (Ksh. 1billion) a year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 58,000 tonnes a year, which is compared to 180,000 return car journeys from London to Edinburgh,” the study said.

The University of Cambridge conducted the research and found out that inhalers, particularly the metered dose style, account for almost 4% of the greenhouse gas emissions of the National Health Survey in England.

According to Sky News, switching 10% of inhalers to ones that do not use liquefied compressed gas could reduce Carbon iv Oxide emissions by 58,000 tonnes a year.

On an individual level, replacing each metered dose inhaler with a dry powder equivalent would save between 150kg and 400kg a year.

This is similar to the amount of savings an environmentally conscious person could achieve by recycling, installing wall insulation or cutting meat from their diet.