Environmental Impacts of the U.S. Health Care System and Effects on Public Health

The authors of this article address how the healthcare sector is highly interconnected with industrial activities that emit much of the nation’s pollution into the air, water, and soils. They note that in 2013, the healthcare sector was accountable for “significant fractions of national air pollution emissions and impacts, including acid rain (12%), greenhouse gas emissions (10%), smog formation (10%) criteria air pollutants (9%), stratospheric ozone depletion (1%), and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic air toxics (1–2%).”