A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research
IntroductionA comprehensive understanding of human anatomy is essential for medical education, with donated human body dissection remaining the gold standard for this purpose. However, in countries where there is a shortage of locally donated bodies, anatomical centers are increasingly turning to ex...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1530121/full |
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| author | Carlo Barausse Carlo Barausse Subhi Tayeb Lorenzo Bonifazi Simone Lodi Giulia Adalgisa Mariani Ester Orsini Sara Zanni Alessandra Bonoli Lucia Manzoli Stefano Ratti |
| author_facet | Carlo Barausse Carlo Barausse Subhi Tayeb Lorenzo Bonifazi Simone Lodi Giulia Adalgisa Mariani Ester Orsini Sara Zanni Alessandra Bonoli Lucia Manzoli Stefano Ratti |
| author_sort | Carlo Barausse |
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| description | IntroductionA comprehensive understanding of human anatomy is essential for medical education, with donated human body dissection remaining the gold standard for this purpose. However, in countries where there is a shortage of locally donated bodies, anatomical centers are increasingly turning to external body donation programs, such as those in the United States, to meet their needs.MethodsThis study assesses the carbon footprint (CO2e) of locally sourced vs. internationally sourced donated bodies, with the carbon footprint of the latter being estimated hypothetically. A retrospective observational study using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts. The analysis included factors such as transportation, preservation methods (fresh vs. embalmed), and additional aspects such as refrigeration and aeration.ResultsLocally donated bodies had an average transport distance of 201.19 ± 172.78 km, resulting in 14 ± 11.84 kgCO2e per body. In contrast, international transport from the US hypothetically produced approximately 450.375 kgCO2e per body, representing a 3114.3% increase. The total carbon footprint for a locally donated body was 8948.99 kgCO2e annually. These findings suggest that local donation programs could significantly reduce transportation emissions, making them more eco-friendly.DiscussionPromoting local donation programs could not only enhance educational opportunities but also minimize the environmental impact of anatomical studies. Increasing the number of local donors would optimize the use of management systems, such as aeration and refrigeration, further improving sustainability. Due to the limitations of this study, further research is needed to refine these findings and explore strategies for reducing the carbon footprint in medical training. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-57f6993f3d9e4aed9613c373dbfb0264 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2296-858X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-57f6993f3d9e4aed9613c373dbfb02642025-08-20T03:53:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Medicine2296-858X2025-05-011210.3389/fmed.2025.15301211530121A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and researchCarlo Barausse0Carlo Barausse1Subhi Tayeb2Lorenzo Bonifazi3Simone Lodi4Giulia Adalgisa Mariani5Ester Orsini6Sara Zanni7Alessandra Bonoli8Lucia Manzoli9Stefano Ratti10Centre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyUnit of Oral Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyUnit of Oral Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyUnit of Oral Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCentre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCentre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCentre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Management, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyDepartment of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCentre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyCentre for Clinical and Surgical Experimental and Molecular Anatomy, and Cellular Signaling Laboratory, Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyIntroductionA comprehensive understanding of human anatomy is essential for medical education, with donated human body dissection remaining the gold standard for this purpose. However, in countries where there is a shortage of locally donated bodies, anatomical centers are increasingly turning to external body donation programs, such as those in the United States, to meet their needs.MethodsThis study assesses the carbon footprint (CO2e) of locally sourced vs. internationally sourced donated bodies, with the carbon footprint of the latter being estimated hypothetically. A retrospective observational study using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was conducted to evaluate the environmental impacts. The analysis included factors such as transportation, preservation methods (fresh vs. embalmed), and additional aspects such as refrigeration and aeration.ResultsLocally donated bodies had an average transport distance of 201.19 ± 172.78 km, resulting in 14 ± 11.84 kgCO2e per body. In contrast, international transport from the US hypothetically produced approximately 450.375 kgCO2e per body, representing a 3114.3% increase. The total carbon footprint for a locally donated body was 8948.99 kgCO2e annually. These findings suggest that local donation programs could significantly reduce transportation emissions, making them more eco-friendly.DiscussionPromoting local donation programs could not only enhance educational opportunities but also minimize the environmental impact of anatomical studies. Increasing the number of local donors would optimize the use of management systems, such as aeration and refrigeration, further improving sustainability. Due to the limitations of this study, further research is needed to refine these findings and explore strategies for reducing the carbon footprint in medical training.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1530121/fullhuman anatomybody donationcarbon footprintmedical educationmedical research |
| spellingShingle | Carlo Barausse Carlo Barausse Subhi Tayeb Lorenzo Bonifazi Simone Lodi Giulia Adalgisa Mariani Ester Orsini Sara Zanni Alessandra Bonoli Lucia Manzoli Stefano Ratti A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research Frontiers in Medicine human anatomy body donation carbon footprint medical education medical research |
| title | A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| title_full | A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| title_fullStr | A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| title_full_unstemmed | A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| title_short | A retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| title_sort | retrospective study on the carbon footprint of bodies donated to science for sustainable medical education and research |
| topic | human anatomy body donation carbon footprint medical education medical research |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1530121/full |
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