Anesthetic gases raise Earth's temperature (a little) while you sleep
Tuesday, April 7, 2015 - 14:00
in Earth & Climate
The gases used to knock out surgery patients are accumulating in the Earth's atmosphere, where they make a small contribution to climate change, report scientists who have detected the compounds as far afield as Antarctica. Like the well-known climate warmer carbon dioxide, anesthesia gases allow the atmosphere to store more energy from the Sun. But unlike carbon dioxide, the medical gases are extra potent in their greenhouse-gas effects, scientists say.