Unnecessary Imaging Scans Contributing To Climate Change
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, April 3, 2025 -- Thinking of splurging on a whole-body MRI or CT scan, based on the latest health fad?
Just keep in mind that you’ll be contributing to climate change, a new study says.
Unnecessary imaging scans for Medicare recipients alone create up to 129 metric kilotons of carbon dioxide emissions a year – equivalent to powering a town of more than 70,000 people, researchers found.
“Our analysis demonstrates the potential to meaningfully reduce our carbon footprint by decreasing unnecessary imaging orders,” researcher Elizabeth Rula, executive director of the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute in Reston, VA, said in a news release.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on annual imaging scans performed for nearly 30 million traditional Medicare beneficiaries between 2017 and 2021.
An earlier study estimated that as many as 26% of imaging scans ordered for Medicare patients are inappropriate. Researchers used data from that study to track unnecessary scans and estimate carbon dioxide emissions tied to them.
All imaging scans produced tremendous amounts of emissions, including up to 136 kilotons for MRIs, up to 178 kilotons for CT scans, 46 kilotons for X-rays, and 23 kilotons for ultrasound, results show.
The high-end estimates “also included the energy required when the scanners are in stand-by mode or in production phase between scans,” lead researcher Dr. Gregory Cavanagh, a resident at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, said in a news release.
Cutting out unnecessary imaging scans could reduce those emissions by as much as 129 kilotons, researchers said.
Unnecessary CT scans contributed to about half these excess emissions, and unnecessary MRIs another quarter, researchers said.
“Emissions are likely to continue to increase given sustained increases in overall imaging volumes over the past decade, and the potential for further increases related to climate-change related exposures and events,” researcher Dr. Julia Schoen, a clinical assistant professor at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, MI, said in a news release.
Cutting down on unnecessary scans could help protect the planet, researchers concluded.
“These findings add an additional, important reason to reduce inappropriate imaging utilization, which would also decrease the risk and cost to patients, cost to the healthcare system, and volumes contributing to the current radiology workforce shortage,” Rula said.
The new study appears in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Sources
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
Source: HealthDay
Posted : 2025-04-04 00:00
Read more

- Bad Sleep Linked To Alzheimer's-Related Brain Changes
- Music-Based Interventions May Help Short-Term Depression, Behavior With Dementia
- AGA Finds No Clear Evidence for or Against AI-Assisted Colonoscopy
- Omeros Corporation Provides Update of Ongoing Zaltenibart Phase 3 PNH Clinical Trial Program
- CagriSema Demonstrates Superior Weight Loss in Adults with Obesity or Overweight and Type 2 Diabetes in the REDEFINE 2 Trial
- Obesity More Likely Among Kids Of Obese Moms, Smokers
Disclaimer
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.
The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Popular Keywords
- metformin obat apa
- alahan panjang
- glimepiride obat apa
- takikardia adalah
- erau ernie
- pradiabetes
- besar88
- atrofi adalah
- kutu anjing
- trakeostomi
- mayzent pi
- enbrel auto injector not working
- enbrel interactions
- lenvima life expectancy
- leqvio pi
- what is lenvima
- lenvima pi
- empagliflozin-linagliptin
- encourage foundation for enbrel
- qulipta drug interactions