Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas and ozone depleting substance, it persists in the environment for over 121 years, destabilising our climate for several generations. Within the UK, anaesthetic nitrous oxide emissions are comparable to 320,000 flights from London to New York and it constitutes over 80% of the total anaesthetic gas carbon footprint.
Nitrous oxide alone contributes 2% of the total NHS England carbon footprint, and 75% of the total anaesthetic gas footprint. For the NHS to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, the carbon impact of nitrous oxide products needs to be tackled.
About the nitrous oxide project
This Nitrous Oxide project was started by Alifia Chakera, with support from CSH Fellows Chris Allen and Amarantha Fennell-Wells and The Association of Anaesthetists Environmental Champions.
Investigation by Alifia Chakera at NHS Lothian highlighted that a significant portion of nitrous oxide emissions are due to waste from manifolds and the associated piped infrastructure. The Nitrous Oxide Project is a way to centralise this work, promoting a lean methodology to identify system waste and improve medical gas management at acute sites. This project requires a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach, taking into account clinical use, product supply and total product turnover. Attached is an audit and analytics sheet to enable teams to investigate this easily.
Awards
- Shortlisted for the Barema and Association of Anaesthetists award 2021
- Shortlisted for the BMJ Environmental Award 2021
Nitrous oxide infographics
Case studies
