The carbon footprint of pathology testing

Abstract

Objectives: To estimate the carbon footprint of five common hospital pathology tests: full blood examination; urea and electrolyte levels; coagulation profile; C-reactive protein concentration; and arterial blood gases. Design, setting: Prospective life cycle assessment of five pathology tests in two university-affiliated health services in Melbourne. We included all consumables and associated waste for venepuncture and laboratory analyses, and electricity and water use for laboratory analyses. Main outcome measure: Greenhouse gas footprint, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions. Results: CO2e emissions for haematology tests were 82 g/test (95% CI, 73–91 g/test) for coagulat..