Environmental & Health Impacts of the U.S. Health-Care System

 
 
Source: Yale University
If the US health-care system were a country, it would rank 13th in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, according to new research. The study quantified previously unreported environmental and public health impacts of the nation’s healthcare sector.
The U.S. healthcare system, the most expensive in the world, uses vast amounts of energy in the form of heating, electricity, and energy-intensive goods and services. It has been estimated that the healthcare sector contributes 8% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. Yet emissions of other pollutants from the healthcare sector, and their impact on the public health, have not been reported…
The research team also reported significant national percentages of non-greenhouse gas effects attributable to the healthcare sector, including acidification (12%), smog formation (10%), and respiratory disease from particulate matter (9%).
“It’s a big contributor to our nation’s environmental impacts,” said Eckelman, “commensurate with its economic impacts.”
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