Anaesthesia Waste Gases and Bioethics: Balancing Patient Care, Environmental Responsibility, and Occupational Safety

Dev World Bioeth. 2025 Jun 15. doi: 10.1111/dewb.12489. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Anaesthesia waste gases (AWGs) represent a significant yet often overlooked contributor to healthcare’s environmental footprint, with implications extending beyond ecological concerns to encompass occupational hazards and complex ethical considerations. This article examines the intersection of AWGs and bioethics through the framework of environmental stewardship, occupational health principles, patient-centered care, and distributive justice. Contemporary volatile anaesthetics possess global warming potentials thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide, while implicated occupational exposures raise concerns about reproductive health and neurological function among healthcare workers. The bioethical paradigms of principalism-encompassing nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, and justice-and environmental ethics provide structured approaches to addressing these multifaceted challenges. This review synthesizes current evidence regarding AWGs’ environmental and occupational impacts, evaluates emerging mitigation strategies, and proposes an integrated ethical framework to guide clinical practice, institutional policy, and professional standards in anaesthesiology.

PMID:40517413 | DOI:10.1111/dewb.12489