Taking a bite out of Scotland’s dental carbon emissions in the transition to a low carbon future

Summary Background Climate change is a significant global health threat requiring concerted action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides the first systematic attempt to quantify the carbon emissions of a national dental service. Methods Carbon accounting combined a top–down approac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health (London) 2012-09, Vol.126 (9), p.770-777
Main Authors: Duane, B, Hyland, J, Rowan, J.S, Archibald, B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon footprint
Carbon Footprint - statistics & numerical data
Clinics
Dental Health Services
Dental public health
Dental treatment
Dentistry
Emission
Environment
Forecasting
Humans
Infectious Disease
Internal Medicine
National health services
Process analysis
Public health
Scotland
Surveys and Questionnaires
Sustainability
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Summary:Summary Background Climate change is a significant global health threat requiring concerted action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This study provides the first systematic attempt to quantify the carbon emissions of a national dental service. Methods Carbon accounting combined a top–down approach using input–output analysis for indirect emissions (procurement) and a process analysis (bottom-up) approach for direct emissions (building energy, travel, waste and water). Energy and water consumption were based on meter readings, waste-related emissions from collection contracts and travel from staff and patient questionnaires. Dental companies were approached for carbon footprint data on their products. Results The carbon footprint for the service was 1798.9 tonnes CO2 eq per annum. Travel was the greatest source (45.1%) followed by procurement (35.9%) and building energy (18.3%). Perhaps counter-intuitively older clinics had lower footprints than newer clinics as they are less energy intensive. Extrapolating the data suggests that Scotland’s NHS dental service annually generates 0.16 mega tonne (Mt) CO2 eq (4%) of the total Scottish NHS carbon footprint. Conclusions The lack of comprehensive data reduces the ability to effectively manage emissions. Consideration needs to be given to the impact of patient travel, staff travel and new clinic construction on the carbon footprint. Medical suppliers are encouraged to provide life cycle analysis (LCA) for dental products.
ISSN:0033-3506
1476-5616
DOI:10.1016/j.puhe.2012.05.032