A comparison of the carbon footprint of alternative sampling approaches for cervical screening in the UK: A descriptive study

Open access study.

Study objective: To understand whether self-sampling can reduce carbon emissions (CO2e) from the NHS cervical screening programme (NHSCSP) by comparing the carbon footprint of three sampling strategies: routine cervical sampling, vaginal self-sampling and first-void (FV) urine collection.

Results: The total carbon footprint of routine cervical sampling is 3670 g CO2e. By comparison, vaginal self-sampling had a total carbon footprint of 423 g CO2e, and FV urine sampling 570 g CO2e. The largest share of emissions for routine sampling was attributable to the carbon footprint associated with an appointment in a primary care setting, which totalled 2768 g CO2e.