Abstract
Influenza is a respiratory illness that may cause serious consequences for the vital organs of the body. In 2019, between 99,000 – 200,000 annual deaths were attributable to Influenza infection. As a result, it is critical to prevent the disease from spreading by developing vaccinations. In Colombia, there is no company specialized in the manufacture of this type of vaccine. On the other hand, the manufacturing vaccinations process might impact negatively the environment. Therefore, the environmental potential impacts (PEI) of vaccine production using Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells were analyzed in this study. The mass balance and energy necessary for the process were calculated, and the generated and output impacts were found under eight categories for each case study. Cases 1 and 3 had negative generated impacts, indicating that the process is environmental impact-consuming. The impacts generated in cases 2 and 4 were positive but not significant, indicating that the process presents a good environmental performance. In comparison to other chemical processes, the output PEIs were minimal. The toxicological categories human toxicity potential by ingestion (HTPI) and terrestrial toxicity potential (TTP) obtained the highest values of PEIs, and for the atmospheric impacts, the highest PEI was achieved by acidification potential. Finally, the impact of the energy source on the PEI was studied, with the energy from gas proving to be the less environmental affectation.
