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McKee H, Brown MJ, Kim HHR, Doo FX, Panet H, Rockall AG, Omary RA, Hanneman K. Planetary Health and Radiology: Why We Should Care and What We Can Do. Radiology 2024; 311:e240219. [PMID: 38652030 DOI: 10.1148/radiol.240219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Climate change adversely affects the well-being of humans and the entire planet. A planetary health framework recognizes that sustaining a healthy planet is essential to achieving individual, community, and global health. Radiology contributes to the climate crisis by generating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the production and use of medical imaging equipment and supplies. To promote planetary health, strategies that mitigate and adapt to climate change in radiology are needed. Mitigation strategies to reduce GHG emissions include switching to renewable energy sources, refurbishing rather than replacing imaging scanners, and powering down unused scanners. Radiology departments must also build resiliency to the now unavoidable impacts of the climate crisis. Adaptation strategies include education, upgrading building infrastructure, and developing departmental sustainability dashboards to track progress in achieving sustainability goals. Shifting practices to catalyze these necessary changes in radiology requires a coordinated approach. This includes partnering with key stakeholders, providing effective communication, and prioritizing high-impact interventions. This article reviews the intersection of planetary health and radiology. Its goals are to emphasize why we should care about sustainability, showcase actions we can take to mitigate our impact, and prepare us to adapt to the effects of climate change. © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the article by Ibrahim et al in this issue. See also the article by Lenkinski and Rofsky in this issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley McKee
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Maura J Brown
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Helen H R Kim
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Florence X Doo
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Hayley Panet
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Andrea G Rockall
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Reed A Omary
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
| | - Kate Hanneman
- From the Temerty Faculty of Medicine (H.M.) and Department of Medical Imaging (H.M., H.P., K.H.), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (M.J.B.); Department of Radiology, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Wash (H.H.R.K.); University of Maryland Medical Intelligent Imaging (UM2ii) Center, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Md (F.X.D.); Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, England (A.G.R.); Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn (R.A.O.); Joint Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (K.H.); and Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, 1 PMB-298, 585 University Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2N2 (K.H.)
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Chaban YV, Vosshenrich J, McKee H, Gunasekaran S, Brown MJ, Atalay MK, Heye T, Markl M, Woolen SA, Simonetti OP, Hanneman K. Environmental Sustainability and MRI: Challenges, Opportunities, and a Call for Action. J Magn Reson Imaging 2024; 59:1149-1167. [PMID: 37694980 DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The environmental impact of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has recently come into focus. This includes its enormous demand for electricity compared to other imaging modalities and contamination of water bodies with anthropogenic gadolinium related to contrast administration. Given the pressing threat of climate change, addressing these challenges to improve the environmental sustainability of MRI is imperative. The purpose of this review is to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and the need for action to reduce the environmental impact of MRI and prepare for the effects of climate change. The approaches outlined are categorized as strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from MRI during production and use phases, approaches to reduce the environmental impact of MRI including the preservation of finite resources, and development of adaption plans to prepare for the impact of climate change. Co-benefits of these strategies are emphasized including lower GHG emission and reduced cost along with improved heath and patient satisfaction. Although MRI is energy-intensive, there are many steps that can be taken now to improve the environmental sustainability of MRI and prepare for the effects of climate change. On-going research, technical development, and collaboration with industry partners are needed to achieve further reductions in MRI-related GHG emissions and to decrease the reliance on finite resources. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 5 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri V Chaban
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jan Vosshenrich
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Hayley McKee
- Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Suvai Gunasekaran
- Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Maura J Brown
- Department of Radiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael K Atalay
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Tobias Heye
- Department of Radiology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Markl
- Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Sean A Woolen
- Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | - Kate Hanneman
- Department of Medical Imaging, University Medical Imaging Toronto, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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