Health and Global Warming
Katrina's aftermath: New Orleans residents are rescued from flood waters. Photo: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA
Devastating Storms
Nearly half the U.S. population lives in coastal areas, making stronger hurricanes and storms a particular threat. One need only remember the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to know how much death and destruction one powerful storm can wreak. (Get details on hurricanes and climate change.)
- Loss of life. Katrina, which pummeled the Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans in 2005, was the sixth strongest hurricane ever recorded and the third strongest that made landfall in the U.S. It was also one of the deadliest, implicated in the death of nearly 2,000 people.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning. Hurricanes can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning when people use portable generators in response to power outages. After Hurricane Charley struck Florida in 2004, at least 167 people died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Illness from contaminated food and water. Waste- and debris-filled flood waters can pollute drinking water or food supplies, causing gastrointestinal disease or forcing people to go hungry. Children playing in contaminated floodwater can become sick or get bitten by insects or snakes. Cleanup workers or volunteers may also suffer health problems. (See how flooding can cause dangerous water pollution problems.)
Katrina's force unleashed debris, raw sewage and a slew of toxins into flood waters. Many first-responders and ordinary citizens in New Orleans reported nausea and vomiting. Some experienced rashes and blisters after contact with dirty flood waters; others suffered breathing problems from toxic fumes or mold spores. (See also Hurricane Katrina Water Contamination.)
- Damage to public health infrastructure. Rescue efforts are hampered by power outages or damage to buildings that deliver care. Several major New Orleans hospitals experienced flooding and power outages during Katrina, leaving those needing life-support systems and other electrically powered equipment at the mercy of emergency generators; some patients did not survive.
- Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Even years after a disaster, many victims suffer psychological aftereffects. For example, over 38 percent of the people who came to an interim Emergency Department in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina were later diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Deadly Heat Waves
Scientists predict that severe heat waves will become more common as global warming continues. In the past several decades, extreme heat has become more deadly than hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, floods and earthquakes — combined. (Get details on heat waves and climate change.)
The dangers include:
- Heat stroke or exhaustion. People suffer heat-related illness when their natural "thermostats" cannot cope with too much heat and their body temperature rises rapidly. Sweating normally cools us down, but with intense heat that may not be enough. Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness and can cause death or permanent disability if not treated promptly.
During Europe's 2003 heat wave, one of the most lethal ever, a staggering 70,000 people died as a result of the relentless heat, breaking all records for heat-induced fatalities.
- Breathing problems. More hot days mean ripe conditions for ozone smog, which forms when pollutants from tailpipes and smokestacks mix with sunlight, heat and stagnant air (and thus occurs mostly during the summer months). Smog triggers asthma attacks and worsens other breathing problems. Hospital admissions and emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses rise during periods of high smog levels. (See Asthma and Air Pollution).
The blistering heat wave of 2006 is a sobering case in point. As the heat swept across the U.S., America’s skies were filled with unsafe levels of smog. (See fact sheet Global warming, heat waves and unhealthy air [PDF].)
The risks of heat-related health problems may be exacerbated by:
- Increasing urbanization. About half the world's population live in urban areas (compared with about a third in 1970). Cities become "heat islands," with asphalt and buildings diminishing the cooling effect of vegetation and trees. By 2030, nearly two-thirds of the population is expected to live in urban areas. The combination of longer stretches of scorching days and increasing urbanization means ripe conditions for illness or death from heat.
In places with extreme temperature variations between winter and summer, like Chicago and New York, the risk of death from heat waves goes up. Cities in temperate climates tend to be less prepared to cope with excessive heat, while normally hot places like Miami and Houston are better equipped (for example, more buildings and homes have air conditioning). (See How Much Heat Can We Stand?)
- Perilous blackouts. Heat waves up the ante for power outages. Long periods of hot weather push up electricity demand, straining the power grid and increasing the likelihood of blackouts. The elderly and infirm are particularly vulnerable. Without power to run air conditioners or elevators, people who have limited mobility or are in poor health may suffer or die in overheated apartments (see Who's at Risk?).
Raging Wildfires
Wildfires are on the rise in the U.S. As the climate warms, hot, dry summers are creating tinderbox conditions ideal for wildfires. Climate change is projected to increase wildfire risk across much of the West (see Wildfires on the Rise).
In fall 2007, wildfires in Southern California destroyed over 1,500 homes, burned 500,000 acres of land, and displaced more than 900,000 people. Besides damage to property and to forests, wildfires can also cause debilitating injuries:
- Hazardous air quality. Fires produce smoke, noxious gases, and tiny soot particles. The smoke can be transported hundreds or even thousands of miles to urban centers, exposing millions of people to wildfire fumes and worsening air quality. Over the longer term, air pollution from wildfires exacerbates eye, heart, and lung diseases. Children, the elderly and people with chronic heart or lung problems are especially at risk. (See more about smoke from wildfires.)
- Burns. A big risk for people in the midst of a wildfire is, of course, getting burned. Caring for burn victims and preventing infection are difficult tasks, and many burn victims remain disabled. In the 2007 California wildfires, the San Diego medical center cared for more than 50 burn victims.
Spread of disease
In some regions, a changing climate may also increase cases of tropical mosquito-borne diseases like malaria, waterborne diseases like gastrointestinal illness and even viruses carried by mice such as hantavirus. (See Diseases Spread as Climate Changes and Virus from Africa Spreading in a Warmer Italy.)
- Mosquito-borne diseases. Malaria and other infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes are a problem mostly in tropical countries. Heavy rainfall and humidity help breed disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes. Studies indicate that higher winter temperatures expand the range where mosquitoes can survive, increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks farther north or at higher altitudes.
- Waterborne disease outbreaks. More than half of all waterborne diseases in the U. S. occur after major rainfall events. The most common is diarrhea from drinking contaminated water. Heavy rainfall can overflow sewer systems and wash waste and chemicals into rivers and oceans. Runoff can cause coliform bacteria outbreaks and algae blooms that prevent people from swimming or eating fish from those waters.
What you can do
This dire list does not have to play out in full force. You can help by:
- support national action to cap global warming pollution, and
- make small healthful changes in your daily life to help slow the effects of global warming.
june1st 2008
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