Small Devices, Big Problems: Addressing the Global Warming Potential of Metered-Dose Inhalers

Rabin et al examine the global warming potential of metered-dose inhalers (MDI). The MDI is the most prescribed aerosolized medication delivery mechanism in the US, and it relies on a hydrofluoroalkane propelbnt to eject medication into the lungs. HFA propellants are GHGs with high global warming potential. The two most common MDI propellants, HFA-134a and HFA-227ea, have 1,430 times and 3,220 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide, respectively. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in 2020 alone, the discharge and leakage of HFAs from MDls were responsible for generating 2.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, roughly equal to the emissions of 550,000 passenger vehicles driven for one year.