Environmental and financial impacts of perioperative paracetamol use: a multicentre international life-cycle assessment
Authors' conclusion
Intravenous paracetamol has 12-fold greater life-cycle carbon emissions than the oral tablet form. Glass vials have higher greenhouse gas emissions than plastic vials.
Study context
- Population
- Perioperative paracetamol use in surgical patients, 26 hospitals in USA, UK and Australia26 hospitals
- Exposure
- I.v. vs oral paracetamol formulations
- Outcome
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2e) of i.v. and oral paracetamol preparations
Methodological detailsinternational
- International
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Carbon footprint per 1 g dose
Oral tablet
38
g CO2e
Oral liquid
151
g CO2e
I.v.
310-628
g CO2e
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Paracetamol prescribing among eligible patients, by country
- USA: received paracetamol (i.v. share 67%)
- 37%
- UK: received paracetamol (i.v. share 80%)
- 85%
- Australia: received paracetamol (i.v. share 70%)
- 66%
Extrapolated mitigation from substituting oral tablets for i.v. paracetamol (USA, UK, Australia elective surgery 2019)
- CO2e avoidable
- ∼5.7 kt CO2e
- Financial costs saved
- 98.3%
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Environmental and financial impacts of perioperative paracetamol use: a multicentre international life-cycle assessment. Br J Anaesth. Published 30 January 2024. doi:10.
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