Posted on 04/07/2015 2:59:48 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
A new study suggests the gases commonly used to knock out patients before surgery are accumulating in the atmosphere, and may be contributing to global warming.
Scientists say atmospheric concentrations of common anesthetic gases like desflurane, isoflurane and sevoflurane are on the rise, and have been detected as far away as Antarctica.
"Health care in and of itself in the U.S. is one of the worst polluting industries," said Jodi Sherman, an anesthesiologist at the Yale University School of Medicine who reviewed the GRL paper. "It generates 8 percent of U.S. greenhouse gases according to one study.
According to the atmospheric chemists responsible for the new research, a single kilogram (2.2 pounds) of desflurane offers the same greenhouse warming potential as 2,500 kilograms (5,512 pounds) of carbon dioxide.
To estimate the total levels of anesthetic gases in the atmosphere, researchers relied on a series of air samples collected throughout the Northern Hemisphere since 2000. Using a computer model, scientists used these small samples to extrapolate global concentrations.
While anesthetic gases remain minor contributors to global warming, curbing the greenhouse warming requires all industries to cut back emissions.
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
Look. I know its a cliche to wonder if it gets weirder. But just DAMN.
More than that. If your surgery keeps you breathing a little longer, then that by itself adds enormous quantities to the atmosphere. Everything you do, the longer you live, is adding CO2.
A special permit should be required for any surgery. You should be required to demonstrate that your value to the planet exceeds the amount of CO2 damage you do by existing.
If you voted for the obamists, you signed up for this.
So all the climate change fanatics will elect to have their surgeries without anesthetics, right?
Cool. I assume that Progs will start having surgery without anesthetic now. Can I watch? It will be fun watching them screaming, “Screw the planet. Put me to sleep!!”
The fat you burn off or lose goes out as heat ... and you expell WAAYYY more CO2 than a 'normal' person does when you excersize
Dieting and excersize is killing the planet !!!
LAZY FATTIES .... UNITE !!!
there i go, thinking of myself again...
Where’s the picture “Not this shit again!”?
Bull pucky
the atmosphere has just 0.04% CO2 in it- Man is responsible for just 3.4% of that 0.04%
So the total amount of CO2 In the atmosphere due to man’s production is just 0.00137%
To defeat this whole ‘man is causing global climate change’ nonsense one just need to quote those scientific FACTS and ask the left how just 0.00137% of our atmosphere can possibly be trapp9ing enough heat, and then back radiating it, to cause temperatures to rise? And People like Ted NEED to start informing people that temperatures rise FIRST- decades before CO2 rises- therefore CO2 can’t possibly be causing temperatures to rise- the science doesn’t lie
He also needs to inform people temperatures have been flat for nearly 2 decades now DESPITE the FACT that CO2 production by man has increased- and ask the left how this is possible IF CO2 ‘causes climate change’?
There isn’t enough of ANYTHING in our atmosphere to do ANYTHING concerning the climate-
Wonder if anyone has analyzed how much one of Michelle’s vacations warms the planet.
And we all crap, so there’s that too...
Talk about your sky is falling super-chickens...
I just warmed it a little myself...: )
Good God does it ever end? “0.30 parts per trillion”...They are concerned about a freakin’ gas that makes up .3 parts per trillion in the atmosphere which is probably the same amount of Al Gores zit juice floating around, but Islamo-Nazis having a clear path to nuclear bombs is perfectly OK. Yes knockout gas will destroy the environment but nuclear radiation is perfectly OK.
0bamacare will probably ban all anesthesiologists.
Well, maybe the anaesthetics in the atmosphere may help comfort us from the pain of slowly roasting to death from global warming.
How about methane, it makes up 0.00018% of the atmosphere and a few months ago Obama put more regulations on oil and gas companies to reduce their methane output. To me that’s an act of economic terrorism because there is absolutely no point in it whatsoever other than raising fuel costs. He’s the President of the US with umpteen advisers, and he doesn’t know about the level of methane? Of course he does, he’s knows damn well it’s a ridiculously low number but he put those regulations in place anyway because he wants to harm the economy.
Yup, They’re gonna outlaw steaming piles....
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