Carbon footprint generated by a radiation oncology department at a tertiary care hospital in India - A single institution analysis.

INTRODUCTION

Climate change is predominantly driven by human activity. The plethora of machines, gadgets, and devices in a radiation oncology department and the personnel can leave a significant carbon footprint. This article presents the details of the carbon footprint generated by a single tertiary care radiation oncology center with state-of-the-art equipment.

METHODS

We meticulously tabulated all the existing equipment at our center, including major treatment machines (Linac, simulator and brachytherapy machines) and units such as treatment planning system (TPS) and other associated computers, printers, and other electronic gadgets. We also recorded the to and from traveled time and distance of each department staff person from their residence to the hospital. Subsequently, Online tools/links and existing literature was used to convert the acquired parameters into CO 2 emission.

RESULTS

The total CO 2 emission in the year (related to electrical equipment being used) was 200.91 tCO 2 . In all, there are 15 departmental personnel working in our department. CO 2 emission from their daily commute to the hospital annually was 5.06 tCO 2 . The Carbon dioxide footprint generated by the patients and their attendants reporting to our center for daily radiotherapy treatment annually was 66.44 tCO 2 . In all, the total departmental cumulative CO2 emission of our department was 272.41 tCO 2 per year.

CONCLUSION

This article provides insight into the likely emission load from a radiation oncology setup. The radiation oncology community must take cognizance of these findings and work further toward reducing carbon emissions in their departmental workflow. This shall be our small but significant contribution towards making the world safer for future generations.