Here at Granta, we are working on reducing the carbon footprint of prescribed inhalers and to optimise patient treatments.
If you are asthmatic, aged 18-65, and have had an asthma review in the last 6 months, you will receive a text from us telling you that we are changing your inhaler to a different device but containing the same ingredient. You will also be offered 3 options to help you with this change:-
- Watch a video on how to use the new inhaler
- Speak to a community pharmacist, who will show you how to use it
- Book an appointment in our Friday clinic with one of our clinical pharmacists
Why choose a more environmentally friendly inhaler?
You use a metered dose inhaler (MDI) for your lung condition. These are the most common type of inhaler used in the UK. MDIs contain a gas (propellant) in a metal canister that you press down into a plastic case to release the medicine into your lungs. Inhalers are a vital part of your treatment. It’s really important that you continue to take your inhalers as prescribed, to keep your lungs healthy.
The gas in your current inhaler is a powerful greenhouse gas. This warms the planet which is a problem for the climate. Climate change increases air pollution which can worsen lung conditions.
Surveys have shown that most patients with inhalers want to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from their inhalers. There are many ways to achieve this, including changing the way you use and dispose of your inhalers, or switching to a different more environmentally friendly inhaler.
The NHS supports the change to environmentally friendly inhalers if this is the right choice for you. NHS research has shown that people are willing to change to environmentally friendly inhalers.
Environmentally friendly inhalers which do not contain a greenhouse gas are dry powder inhalers (DPI) or soft mist inhalers (SMIs). Not all patients can use these sorts of inhalers, although many patients find them easier to use. They all come with dose counters, making it easier to keep a track of your medicines. With DPIs you don’t need to co-ordinate pressing and breathing in at the same time. Some DPIs have the benefit of being once-daily inhalers that work for 24 hours.
Even if your MDI has a high carbon footprint and you are concerned about climate change, it is very important that you continue to use your inhaler to keep your lungs healthy.
There are additional ways you can help yourself and the environment when using inhalers:
- Make sure you use your preventer (treatment) inhaler every day, as this should lessen how much you need to use your reliever inhaler. Look at your inhaler dose counter, if it has one, or think about ways to help you remember to use your inhaler.
- Check that you are using your MDI correctly so that you get all the benefits from using your inhaler. You can read a leaflet or watch a video on https://www.rightbreathe.com/ on how to use your inhaler.
- Follow your asthma action plan, or self-management plan for COPD, which tells you what to do when your symptoms are getting worse.
- Return your empty or unwanted inhalers to a community pharmacy or dispensary for environmentally safe disposal or recycling. Did you know that inhalers, like other medicines, should not be put in your household waste bin or recycling bin? Even when your metered dose inhaler is empty, it still contains some of the greenhouse gas.
- The most commonly used inhaler in the UK, Ventolin Evohaler™ has a carbon footprint of 28kg per inhaler. That’s the same carbon footprint as the tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions of driving 175miles (or from London to Sheffield) in a small car.
