Environmental Sustainability in Radiology
This playbook provides practical, evidence-based steps for reducing emissions and waste in radiology.
Project description
Medical imaging is a resource and energy-intensive component of healthcare, accounting for up to 1% of global emissions. Extreme weather events also pose a risk to the operation of diagnostic imaging equipment, data storage and access to medical imaging services, jeopardizing the health system’s ability to deliver patient care.
The Environmental Sustainability in Radiology playbook is intended for all medical imaging professionals and teams in order to:
- Discuss greenhouse gas emissions and waste arising from medical imaging
- Define and describe mitigation and adaption opportunities in radiology in Canada
- Explore strategies for low carbon, high quality medical imaging with estimated impacts
This playbook was inspired by and modeled after the Canadian Association of Radiologists Statement on Environmental Sustainability in Medical Imaging.
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Supporting resources
- Exemption of specimens from routine submission to pathology laboratories: recommendations in the Canadian context
- Recommendations on practices related to tissue exemption and release
- Serous cavity fluid/bronchial washings/sputum submission guidelines
- Anatomical pathology expired immunohistochemistry antibody use procedure
- Anatomical pathology sustainability checklist
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Suggested citation
Brown MJ, Hanneman K, Machane S. Environmental Sustainability in Radiology (2025) Version 1.0 [Internet]. CASCADES (Creating a Sustainable Canadian Health System in a Climate Crisis). [Cited DATE]. Available from https://cascadescanada.ca/resources/radiology-playbook
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Other topics
Care pathways
Key actions can minimize the environmental harms of medications throughout their lifecycle and address increased medication-related risks due to climate change.
Many opportunities exist to address the resource intensity of perioperative care while ensuring and promoting high quality care.
Comprehensive person-centered primary and community care can support health and wellbeing and reduce the need for more resource intensive services.
Practitioners across specialties can take meaningful steps to reduce the environmental impacts of their practice and safeguard patient and population health.
Health services can promote health, including by delivering healthy food, effective chronic disease management, and climate-adapted clinical care.
System enablers
Sustainability is intrinsically linked with both quality care and patient safety and can be embedded within these efforts.
Leadership and good governance are needed to develop and deliver effective climate and sustainability strategy.
The shift to climate resilient and sustainable health systems requires accurate assessment of healthcare’s environmental impacts.
Health systems can leverage their purchasing power to influence vendors and shape markets for sustainable and resilient health sector products and services.
Healthy food, digital innovation and effective waste management are among the key enablers of low-carbon, sustainable and climate-resilient health systems.