Inhalers Produce More Than A Half-Million Cars’ Worth of Carbon Emissions Annually

Key Takeaways

Inhalers for asthma and COPD are contributing to climate changeInhalers generate more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions a yearThat’s equivalent to emissions from around 530,000 gas-powered vehicles

TUESDAY, Oct. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Inhalers provide breath-saving relief to people with asthma and COPD, but ultimately are undoing those good works by promoting climate change, a new study says.

Inhalers generated more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually over the past decade, researchers reported Oct. 6 in the Journal of the American Medical Association .

By researchers’ estimates, that’s equal each year to the emissions from roughly 530,000 gas-powered cars.

“Inhalers add to the growing carbon footprint of the U.S. health care syste