Researchers ask: how sustainable is your toothbrush?
, Media Relations Officer, Trinity College Dublin
The
research study, in collaboration with Eastman Dental Institute at University
College London, is published in the British Dental Journal. It represents
the first time a life-cycle assessment (LCA) has been used to measure
environmental consequences of a healthcare product.
Healthcare is a major emitter of environmental pollutants that adversely affect health, but awareness of these effects remains low both in the industry and in the general consumer population.
There is currently little evidence or guidance
regarding the sustainability of specific healthcare interventions, services or
devices.
Researchers considered different manufacturing models of the toothbrush and measured the environmental impact (carbon footprint) and human health impact (DALYS) of the toothbrush.
The electric toothbrush, the standard plastic brush, the plastic
brush with replaceable head, and the bamboo brush were used. The team found
that the electric toothbrush was comparatively harmful for planetary health.
The
findings highlight the human health burden of the toothbrush manufacturing
process. The electric toothbrush causes 10 hours of disability measured in
Disability-Adjusted Life years or DALYS mainly for the people associated with
the process of making and producing the devices. This is five times
higher than a normal plastic brush.
The
team found that the most environmentally sustainable toothbrush was not bamboo,
as could perhaps be popularly believed, but a hypothetical continually recycled
plastic toothbrush.
This simple comparative LCA showed that a plastic manual replaceable head toothbrush and bamboo manual toothbrush perform better than traditional plastic manual and electric toothbrushes in every environmental impact outcome measure used in this study.
These results could be used to inform individual consumer choice,
oral health recommendations, procurement of toothbrushes for public health
programmes, and toothbrush manufacturers. Using LCA to inform healthcare
policies and recommendations will help healthcare providers move towards a more
environmentally sustainable system.
Dr Brett Duane,
Associate Professor in Public Dental Health at Trinity College and lead
researcher said:
There are billions of toothbrushes used and discarded every year. Our research shows that electric toothbrushes are actually harmful for the planet and to the people involved in the manufacturing process and distribution. There is not a lot of evidence to show they are more effective unless you struggle to clean your teeth with a normal toothbrush. We have also shown bamboo toothbrushes are not the answer.
Using them just stops land from being put to better use such as helping
biodiversity, or in growing forests to offset carbon emissions.
The ideal toothbrush
is one which uses plastic which is recycled in a continuous process. Plastic
brushes which can be recycled don’t take up a lot of land and they don’t need
lots of water to grow. The important thing here is to keep the plastic in the
recycling chain. We need a system where plastic toothbrushes can be collected
like batteries and then recycled into new products. If the plastic escapes the
recycling chain, it needs to be able to be easily and naturally broken down
into harmless products.
Manufacturers,
consumers, health professionals, and health policy makers should consider
environmental sustainability as well as money and people’s health when
recommending products. Governments and industry should consider how they
could support recycling programmes. More funding is also required to support
sustainability research in this area.
Read more:
The
research papers: ‘Combining evidence-based healthcare with environmental
sustainability: using the toothbrush as a model’ and ‘Incorporating
sustainability into assessment of oral health interventions’ can be viewed in
the British Dental Journal here: https://www.nature.com/bdj/volumes/229/issues/5
