Endoscopy 2020; 52(S 01): S11
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1704041
ESGE Days 2020 oral presentations
Thursday, April 23, 2020 16:30 – 18:00 President’s opening session 3 Auditorium
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF DISPOSABLE ENDOSCOPIC EQUIPMENT AND ENDOSCOPES - A VOLUMETRIC ANALYSIS

H Pohl
1   VAMC White River Junction, White River Junction, United States of America
2   Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States of America
,
D von Renteln
3   Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Division of Gastroenterology, Montreal, Canada
4   Centre de Recherce du CHUM, Montreal, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
23 April 2020 (online)

Also available at
 

Aims Health care’s climate footprint contributes 5% to Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions (8% in the US). We aimed to quantify the environmental impact of single use endoscopic devices and materials.

Methods We documented the daily volume of disposable material used during endoscopic procedures at a small, medium and large size hospital. We estimated the volume of non-recycled waste (landfill) and calculated its volume per endoscopy, per annum for each center, and extrapolated it to the annual procedure volume in the US (20 Million), using low and high waste estimates as minimum and maximum ranges.

Results The volume of endoscopic waste filled annually between 375 and 5151 trash bags (114 L) occupying 28 to 390 m3 between the low and high-volume centers. Nationally, endoscopic procedures would produce 532918 m3 waste per year in the US, which would fill 980 single-family houses. If all colonoscopies and ERCPs were performed with single use endoscopes, it would add 100682 m3, and fill 185 single-family houses per year (180 with colonoscopes, 5 with duodenoscopes). Combined the total disposable material would take up 633600 m3 or fill 1165 single family houses (range 881 to 1578).

Tab. 1

Waste generated during endoscopic procedures.

Low volume center

Medium volume center

High volume center

U.S.

Endoscopies/year, n

1500

6000

13000

20 million

Waste/procedure, mean

0.02 m 3

0.04 m 3

0.03 m 3

0.03 m 3

Waste/year

28 m 3

227 m 3

390 m 3

532918 m 3

Waste/year that would fill single-family houses, n (range)

0.1

0.4

0.7

980(696-1393)

Conclusions Although limited, this is a first quantitative assessment of the environmental impact of single use material and devices used in endoscopy, showing large amount of waste produced annually. We need to better quantify the environmental impact of endoscopic procedures and waste, which will ultimately affect human health. Any cost-benefit analysis should also consider potential environmental harms.