It goes from the ridiculous to the sublime in Cancun. Now, surgery is a major cause of global warming! From the story:
In the new study Professor Ole John Nielsen of Copenhagen found that two of the main anaesthetic gases used, sevoflurane and desflurane, are respectively 210 and 510 times more powerful greenhouse gases than carbon dioxide. A third, isoflurane, is 1,620 times more potent than CO2, according to analyses by Professor Nielsen and American colleagues at Nasa and the Ford Atmospheric laboratories. Professor Nielsen told the British Journal of Anaesthesia: “We studied three different gases in regular use for anaesthesia, and they’re not equally harmful. “This ought to make anaesthesiologists sit up and take notice. “If all three compounds have equal therapeutic worth, there is every reason to choose the one with the lowest global warming potential.” Professor Nielsen said the relatively small amount of anaesthetic gases used means that a ban on the gases is not justified. But he added: “The surprising properties of anaesthetic gases are an important reminder to anyone who is using any kind of gases. They really ought to examine the atmospheric fate of them, before releasing them into nature.”
Here’s a thought: All those movie star and aging politicians who push GWH should forgo their surgical face lifts to save the planet. Good grief.
HT: Eaglelady
