The most vulnerable Americans will be hit hardest

If you know someone with asthma, or live with it yourself, you know the discomfort and fear that come with an asthma attack: wheezing, chest pressure, uncontrollable coughing. And most Americans are touched by asthma—approximately 1 in 9 has been diagnosed with asthma. The disease causes millions of doctor visits, lost work, and missed school days. It’s the third-ranking cause of hospitalizations in children under 15. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 million American children have asthma.

Asthma symptoms are exacerbated by a warming planet. Rising temperatures contribute to poor air quality and can lead to increased smog. In fact, climate-related factors have led to a fourfold increase in asthma in the United States in the past 20 years. And asthma is only one health condition worsened by global warming. Isn’t it time we tackled this public health problem?

THE DOCTORS WEIGH IN

Members of the country’s leading health care organizations agree. In fall 2010, organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Lung Association, and the American Nurses Association sent a letter to Congress urging federal elected leaders to recognize the danger global warming poses to public health and to “support measures that will reduce these risks and strengthen the ability of our local, state, and federal public health agencies to prepare for and respond to the impacts of climate change.” This esteemed group of health care professionals wrote,

As temperatures rise, more Americans will be exposed to conditions that can result in illness and death due to respiratory illness, heat- and weather-related stress, and disease carried by insects. These health issues are likely to have the greatest impact on our most vulnerable communities, including children, older adults, those with serious health conditions, and the most economically disadvantaged.

Every year we wait to address global warming, record heat waves, more severe droughts, stronger storms, heavier rainfall, and flooding continue to harm vulnerable communities. Rising temperatures and shifting climates can lead to many harmful health effects, including heatstroke, respiratory illnesses, and more frequent and severe allergies. In addition to asthma, we can expect some of the following health concerns:

• With global warming, cases of mosquito- and tick-borne illnesses are expected to increase. A prime example is malaria, which could become even more common in the United States as global warming worsens. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes are spreading farther from the equator toward the poles. Unchecked global warming will likely put as much as 65 percent of the world’s people at risk of malarial infection, an increase of 20 percent from the present.
• Rising temperatures and carbon dioxide concentrations increase pollen production and prolong the growing season of a number of plants with allergenic pollen.
• Stronger storms and more intense floods will increase waterborne diseases. Additionally, heavy downpours can trigger sewage overflows, which may contaminate drinking water.

Based on those climate-caused health impacts, the American Medical Association (AMA) in November 2010 affirmed that climate change “is a serious issue that can negatively affect the health of the public.” The AMA resolved in November 2010 to support the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act because of the expected public health benefits of these regulations. Dr. O. Marion Burton, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, summed it up. “There is a compelling need to move forward, not back, on efforts to ensure clean air for all.”

Asthma symptoms are exacerbated by global warming. Rising temperatures contribute to poor air quality and can lead to increased smog. In fact, climate-related factors have led to a fourfold increase in asthma in the United States in the past 20 years.