The equivalent of operating one hospital bed has virtually the same carbon footprint as five households, a new University of Waterloo study has found. A number of things contributed to this, including things like water treatment, the release of anesthetic gases, and the use of energy for lighting, heating, air conditioning, and ventilation.  There's also the impact of making cups on the drugs or even the drugs and the materials needed to make them. "So it's really quite far removed from what you actually see happening in the hospital itself," said Alex Cimprich, the study's lead author. (James Chaarani – CBC News)