Bill Karins, Meteorologist

This is the beginning of Green Week here at NBC Universal. Our goal is to increase environmental awareness and to offer earth-friendly suggestions that you can try to help save the planet. It’s a fact that every “going green” thing we do helps. I’ve never come across a person that wouldn’t do everything he or she could to help if cost wasn’t an issue.

MORE: Go Green With Weather Plus

Of course in these hard financial times, cost is probably the most important factor when deciding upon going green options. In many cases Going Green can actually save you money or be negligible to your wallet. Below is information on one of today’s most controversial going green decisions to date. It was made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is guaranteed to affect your family or one you know. Here are the facts. If you were on the FDA panel what would you have done?

One of the first developments in the “save the planet” movement was the realization that CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) were depleting the ozone layer. The ozone layer is located in the stratosphere 6–10 miles above the earth’s surface and blocks the suns ultra violet radiation so we can play outside without too much worry.

The large hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica led to the Montreal Protocol in 1987 that globally banned production of CFCs with the exception of medical benefits. One of the medical exceptions was made for small but essential asthma inhalers that required CFCs to push the medicine into a patient’s lungs. This exception continues to this day but not for long.

The area shaded in purple represents the hole in the ozone layer. Courtesy of NASA.

In 2005, the FDA voted to halt the production and sale of CFC multi-dose inhalers beginning December 31st, 2008. Starting next year asthma suffers will have to use the relatively new HFA (Hydrofluoroalkane) inhalers. The New England Journal of medicine reported that the safety and use of the new HFA inhalers is comparable to the CFC inhalers. So what’s the big deal? Try sticker shock!

For me, this is the first time in memory that the cost of protecting the planet will directly take money out of unsuspecting families’ pockets. Yes, I know we all pay more for gas because of the environmental production costs, but this case is different. Technically, driving is considered a luxury; breathing is literally a luxury you can’t live without. The cost of these new inhalers is 3x the cost of the current CFC inhalers.

Asthma inhalers like this one may soon become obsolete. Courtesy of Asthma.org.

For insured asthma suffers this will likely mean increased co-pays but for uninsured asthma suffers the cost per prescription will go up an average of $26 dollars. That’s $312 dollars more per year. The price increased because there is no cheaper generic HFA inhaler – whereas there has been a generic CFC inhaler available for years. The drug companies basically ensure that asthma suffers will pay brand name prices until at least 2010 when the generic HFA may become available.

If this issue still doesn’t seem important consider the fact that the asthma drug Albuterol is the 7th most commonly prescribed drug in the U.S. with an estimated 52 million prescriptions. The New England Journal of Medicine predicts Americans will spend an additional $1.2 billion in 2009 to treat asthma in order to prevent CFCs from harming the ozone. This sounds like a great deal for drug companies but a tough pill to swallow (or inhale in this case) for consumers. If you are one of the millions of families with children who suffer from asthma, this has recently occurred or will shortly.

For me, the consumer acceptance or protest of these changes will be a litmus test for future planetary sacrifices. In order to truly negate the harm humans are doing to our planet, the sacrifices will have to begin.

Happy Earth Day!