Scotland first to ban environmentally harmful anaesthetic

Scotland first to ban environmentally harmful anaesthetic Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anaesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to the environment.

NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.

Banning it in Scotland - from its peak use in 2017 - would cut emissions equal to powering 1,700 homes a year.

UK hospitals have already cut down. BBC News