If you cast your mind back to the 1990s and early 2000s, you might remember the term: CFCs or chlorofluorocarbons – they were the nasty chemicals putting a big hole in the ozone layer.
CFCs are now banned in 197 countries. In many cases, CFCs were replaced by HFCs or hydrofluorocarbons.
In an asthma inhaler, the HFCs are found in the aerosol part that helps propel the medication into a person’s lungs.
The problem is that we now know that HFCs are not good for the environment and can also cause global warming.
Dr Daniel Duke is a senior lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He is currently working to find a substitute for HFCs in inhalers.
“It’s a really potent greenhouse gas. So one kilogram of the propellant chemical in an asthma puffer is the equivalent of releasing over 1400 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” Dr Duke says.
To put this in perspective, he claims that using your asthma puffer for a few times per day for a full year has the same warming effect as driving from Melbourne to Townsville and back.
Around one in 10 people in Australia have asthma, so that’s 2.7 million people taking a very long road trip.
But don’t go ditching your inhaler just yet.
Conjoint Professor Peter Wark, University of Newcastle, says asthma inhalers can be vitally important for everyone with asthma.
“The majority of people, certainly those over the age of 12, should be using a regular inhaler as a preventer if they have asthma. It’s clear that this is the case. So these are really the cornerstone of treatment,” Professor Wark says.
Alternatives for asthmatics that are greener
The good news is that there are already alternatives available on the market that are better for the environment.
Dr Danielle McMullen is the president of the Australian Medical Association’s NSW Branch and she says people should speak to their doctor to see what options might be suitable for them.
“We do have a number of dry powder inhaler devices that come in different shapes and sizes. And of course, it’s really important to get advice on how exactly to use the device you’ve been given, particularly for people using those combination medications,” Dr McMullen says.
Getting advice is essential because dry powder inhalers won’t work for everyone.
READ MORE
As Dr McMullen explains, children, seniors and people with asthma will have difficulty inhaling the medication without a propellant.
“I think there’s likely to always be a need for some propellant inhaler devices. For people having an acute asthma attack, the easiest way to get those higher doses of medication into the lungs is using a puffer and a spacer.”
This brings us back the HFCs conundrum. Dr Duke says it’s a challenging problem he’s determined to solve.
“One of the things that makes this really challenging for both a science perspective and from the perspective of the pharmaceutical companies, is that there is no one replacement that’s suitable for all different applications,” Dr Duke says.
“So if you go and have a look at your can of spray oil in your kitchen, it’ll say propellent: propane or butane – those are hydrocarbons, they’re flammable and you would not want to inhale one of those.
READ MORE
“When it comes to medical inhalers, we need something new and unique that meets all these different requirements.”
There’s an added complication – not just ensuring the new compound is safe for consumption – but also considering how any propellant will interact with the medications inside the inhaler.
Future for asthmatics
Dr Duke says his team are hopeful they will find a suitable replacement for HFC’s inside asthma inhalers but there are still years of testing needed before any potential new inhaler will reach the shelves.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll start to see change within five years, although it may take about 10 years for the product to reach pharmacy shelves around the world because of all the approvals that need to be obtained,” he says.
“The pharmaceutical industry, many of the big companies have already made public announcements about their intention to phase out the use of some of these chemicals.”
HFCs are gradually being phased out all over the world. However, asthmatics can rest assured that they will continue to be able to use their inhaler for medical purposes until an alternative is developed.
