Doctors' college urges province to eliminate polluting anesthetic gases

The Collège des médecins du Québec is pushing Santé Québec to eliminate two greenhouse-gas-heavy anesthetic gases from operating rooms across the province.

In a Wednesday statement, the CMQ urged the health authority to stop using desflurane and to shut down nitrous oxide distribution lines in health facilities. Desflurane's carbon footprint is 40 times higher than sevoflurane, and nitrous oxide has a half-life of 109 years in the atmosphere.

The shift is not new territory. In summer 2024, the National Institute of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) published recommendations calling for exactly this: closure of centralized nitrous oxide systems and removal of desflurane from the provincial drug list. Neither recommendation has been implemented.

The CMQ argues that inhaled anesthetic gases contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions from the healthcare system, and that eliminating the most polluting agents could be done quickly without compromising patient safety. Dr. Mauril Gaudreault, the college's president, said in writing: "As a committed player in sustainable health, the College supports anesthetic practices with a lower environmental impact, in accordance with the evidence." The CMQ said it will make formal representations to the government on the issue.