Asthma inhalers are contributing to climate change Each puff from a metered-dose inhaler emits hydrofluorocarbons into the atmosphere Each such inhaler emits as much greenhouse gas as a car driven 60 miles MONDAY, Sept. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Tiny puffs from inhalers could be causing big climate problems for Mother Earth, a new study warns. Each inhaler dose contains some of the most potent greenhouse gases known, and they are adding up, researchers reported recently in the By the time some inhalers are empty, they have emitted as much greenhouse gas as an average car driven 60 miles, researchers found.
Further, the more than 70 million inhalers prescribed in the United States each year contribute more air pollution than the annual electricity use of 200,000 American homes, the researchers added. "There was a really wide range of emissions between different inhaler types, and it turns out that in the U.S.
we're still mostly prescribing the inhalers that are the worst when it comes to emissions," said lead researcher , a clinical assistant professor of pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine at Stanford University. "But there are some easy replacements for those inhalers, and we hope that patients and providers consider emissions when they choose an inhaler," Tirumalasetty added in a university news release. There are three main types of inhalers, researchers said: Metered-dose inhalers that use propellant gas to drive medication deep into the lungs Dry-powder inha.