The healthcare industry is increasingly aware of the challenges that climate change presents to global health outcomes. Environmental issues such as air pollution and extreme weather events contribute to increases in the number of patients requiring treatment. This in turn raises the amount and the cost of care health systems must provide.
Becker’s Hospital Review recently published the article “The ‘threat multiplier’ healthcare leaders can’t afford to ignore.” It explains healthcare organizations contribute to climate change in the United States and worldwide. They affect the environment in terms of waste generated by the medical supply chain, greenhouse gas emissions, and indirect emissions from electricity use as well as heating and cooling.
This creates a counterproductive cycle. As global warming creates health issues in the population, health systems must provide more patient care, which in turn increases environmental impact. Health system leaders are recognizing the threat presented by climate change and developing environmental sustainability plans for their organizations, with the goal of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
One factor that has a clear impact on global warming is the type of refrigeration systems utilized by healthcare organizations. Conventional cooling technology has been used in medical-grade cold storage for many years. The refrigerants that have traditionally been implemented have higher global warming potential and heat rejection than alternative coolants.
Innovations in refrigeration technology have now been developed to make it possible for these units to maintain the tight temperature ranges that are required, while at the same time minimizing energy consumption, heat output, and global warming potential (GWP).
GX Solutions professional medical-grade cold storage from Helmer Scientific utilizes innovative OptiCool™ technology. Designed for critical healthcare applications such as the storage of patient specimens, reagents, and blood products, GX Solutions offer optimal temperature management.
Natural hydrocarbon refrigerants are used instead of traditional hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Natural hydrocarbons are environmentally friendly refrigerants that have very limited impact on GWP and no impact on Ozone Depletion Potential (ODP).
Not only do GX Solutions refrigerators and freezers benefit the environment by decreasing global warming potential, they also help reduce heat output into the laboratory and decrease energy consumption. This can help healthcare organizations reduce their utility bills, lowering the total cost of ownership.
Other Blogs You Might Be Interested In...
- Video: How to Achieve a Quieter Working Environment in Your Lab
- Best of 2021: Clinical Lab
- Medical-Grade Refrigeration in Clinical Lab: Trends and Adoption Rate
- Clinical Lab Staffing Even More Challenging with COVID-19
Our white paper provides an overview of the cooling technology that makes these results possible and the environmental benefits of switching from conventional medical-grade cold storage to GX Solutions.
