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. 2012 May 15:425:191-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.03.006. Epub 2012 Apr 5.

Life cycle assessment perspectives on delivering an infant in the US

Nicole Campion  1 , Cassandra L Thiel, Justin DeBlois, Noe C Woods, Amy E Landis, Melissa M Bilec
Affiliations

Life cycle assessment perspectives on delivering an infant in the US

Nicole Campion et al. Sci Total Environ. .

Erratum in

  • Sci Total Environ. 2013 Aug 1;458-460:647

Abstract

This study introduces life cycle assessment as a tool to analyze one aspect of sustainability in healthcare: the birth of a baby. The process life cycle assessment case study presented evaluates two common procedures in a hospital, a cesarean section and a vaginal birth. This case study was conducted at Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which delivers over 10,000 infants per year. The results show that heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), waste disposal, and the production of the disposable custom packs comprise a large percentage of the environmental impacts. Applying the life cycle assessment tool to medical procedures allows hospital decision makers to target and guide efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of healthcare procedures.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Data Flowchart for Cesarean Section and Vaginal Births
Figure 2
Figure 2
Environmental Impacts of Cesarean Section (C/S) and Vaginal (Vag) Births. * Waste calculated for the disposable custom packs and placenta disposal.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cesarean Section (C/S) and Vaginal (Vag) Birth Disposable and Reusable Material Impacts
Figure 4
Figure 4
Environmental Impacts for the Production of Cesarean Section Disposable Materials
Figure 5
Figure 5
End of Life Impacts for Cesarean Section (C/S) and Vaginal (Vag) Births
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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