Part of the problem or part of the solution? An interdisciplinary action call for more research on the environmental sustainability of lab-on-a-chip and point-of-care devices

摘要

The concept of the lab-on-a-chip, at the core of many point-of-care or point-of use environmental or human diagnostic products, is intricately linked to the idea of single-use. The need for decentralisation, convenient diagnostic solutions has led to the design and production of centimeter scale, disposable devices, used once, then discarded. This approach has increased the amount of generated waste beyond laboratories and into the communities where adequate disposal maybe is inadequate. Have we unwittingly created a "technological trap" resulting in unintended, additional, and potentially avoidable, waste [1]? Thus, a legitimate question is "are we part of the solution or part of the problem?" How can we ensure that the social benefits of such solutions are not delivered at the expense of an environmental impact that might take years to be fully appreciated? How big of a problem does the lab-on-a-chip waste represent? Can a single-use approach be reversible, or can it be alleviated through materials or methods choices? Most of the environmental sustainability of a single-use device is locked at the design stage and material choice is one of the many contributing factors to the environmental impact of the device. Can we identify applications where single use can be avoided, or can the impact of single use devices be minimized through material and design choices? Importantly, a transition to alternative materials and reagents is not just an engineering problem. Beyond the functional aspects, there are significant economic and regulatory implications to consider. We are calling for engineers, economists, healthcare professionals, manufacturers, regulators and policy makers to join forces and work together to answer this Grand Challenge: how do we reduce the amount of waste created by the lab-on-achip and point-of-care devices industry?The environmental impact of lab-on-a-chip devices in the point-of-care or point-of-need industry is arguably difficult to assert, as no studies have been conducted to quantify this yet.At the inception of the lab-on-chip field, a microfluidic approach was touted as the possibility to reduce reagents and solvent consumption. However, how much of this, still hold true? To yield meaningful results microfluidic devices often need similar amounts of sample and reagents than would be used in a bench assay. That is certainly the case when comparing to the use of liquid handling robots capable of handling microvolumes, with arguably less paraphernalia than most microfluidic-based devices.The majority of point-of-need and point-of-care industry uses petroleum-based plastics [2], [3], [4]. We also know that the industry is in full expansion to the need for decentralized healthcare. According to various reports, the microfluidic market sits at an estimated $11 billion and is projected to grow at an average rate of 10% CAGR. Meanwhile the point-of-care market is worth $32 billion with a CAGR of 11.5%. Whilst the exact production volumes have not been reported, it is clear the production equates waste at the end of the life cycle. An open question is how much of the industry produce single-use versus re-usable products. Similarly, the distribution of different end-of-life processes (incineration, landfill or recycling) for point-of-care and point-of-use devices are unknown, however, the toxic effect of plastic incineration or landfill on environmental, human and animal health is well documented [5], [6], [7]. Preventing the use of petrochemical plastics has the potential of significant carbon savings in the industry, but also reduces toxic effects on human, animal and environmental health. Plastic pollution from the diagnostic industry is also a social justice issue, which affects predominantly the Global South. Manufacturers (predominantly from western or global north) have shied away from responsible practice and distribute products with unclear disposal indications [6].Over the last five