Sustainability in Laboratory Medicine
Raeshun T Glover, James Connelly, Alistair Gammie, Jane Kilcoyne, Tomris Özben, Alicja Santos, Joesph R Wiencek
Abstract
Sustainability in laboratory medicine is not a novel concept. However, the topic is gaining significant global traction as recent guidelines and other publications are released. Unfortunately, before a laboratory result is generated, large amounts of resources are utilized. For example, in the research, development, and design phases of a clinical laboratory assay, laboratories and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) companies will consume considerable resources and produce significant waste. Similarly, clinical laboratories must go through numerous test verifications and validations that require multiple shipments of instrumentation, equipment, reagents, and other consumables. Additionally, the daily operation of clinical laboratory instrumentation requires large amounts of water, energy, chemicals, and other products that lead to recyclable and nonrecyclable waste. Patient specimens are another major contributor of waste in laboratory medicine. Specimens are commonly collected by single-use plastics, placed in plastic tubes, and shipped in plastic biohazardous bags. Point-of-care testing (POCT) may eliminate some of this usage; however, many of these POCT devices are also single-use and contain dense plastic or other nonrecyclable materials (such as circuits, magnets, and heating elements) in their design. Fortunately, as sustainability efforts are highlighted, clinical and research laboratories as well as IVD and pharmaceutical companies are exploring ways to eliminate unnecessary waste production, increase efficiencies, and reduce their overall carbon footprints.