Experts: Global Warming Could Harm Health

Evidence Indicates Climate Change Could Affect Individuals, In Addition To Planet As Whole

(CBS)  The potential dangers for the planet posed by global warming are well known.

But what about possible health effects on individuals? Is there cause for concern?

"A lot of scientists certainly think so," said The Early Show health correspondent Dr. Emily Senay Monday.

The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the amount of ragweed pollen, the stuff that causes hay fever symptoms, may have doubled over the past 40 or 50 years. Why? Scientists say the same carbon dioxide involved in global warming also started helping plants produce more pollen during their reproduction processes.

A government researcher recently reported that additional carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere has also made poison ivy plants larger, and the oil on the leaves that irritates the skin more potent. So, those three-leafed clusters at the edges of forests may itch longer, and contact that might not have triggered a skin reaction decades ago is more likely to now.

"So," Senay observed, "we're starting to see the health effects of global warming."

And carbon dioxide isn't the only air pollutant that might cause trouble.

It's also likely, Senay says, that ozone levels close enough to the ground for us to breathe (as opposed to the type of ozone in the upper-levels of the atmosphere, which protect the Earth) are increasing. According to a report put out by Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health, ozone at or near ground-level can damage lung tissue, reduce lung function, and make the respiratory tract more sensitive to other irritants. They include particulates in the air, which can aggravate conditions such as asthma, and even increase a person's risk of cancer.

And global warming's impact could even extend to water's ability to spread disease.

The Union of Concerned Scientists suggests it does, Senay points out. Changes in drought and flood patterns may increase the presence of waterborne pathogens including parasites, which can cause severe digestive problems if we swallow them. Diseases carried by insects such as mosquitoes may be spread more widely if rainfall patterns that influence their movement and breeding are altered, as some experts predict. There's no proof yet, but the Union of Concerned Scientists says prolonged heat around the Great Lakes region helped trigger outbreaks of St. Louis encephalitis in that Great Lakes area.

Another ill effect of extra heat could come in the form of food-borne illnesses. We know that high temperatures can turn food into a breeding ground for dangerous bacteria. The more warm weather there is, the greater the chance that food will become contaminated and make us sick.

Which brings Senay to the impact of heat itself on us?

She says all the harmful things heat can do to us may only intensify if temperatures rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds us that heat-related illnesses are especially troublesome for the very old, the very young, and people who exercise too hard and too long in hot conditions. Researchers at Johns Hopkins predict the greatest increase in heat-related deaths in cities in the Midwest and Northeast, where extreme heat is now relatively sporadic, but could become more consistent and dangerous.

There is, however, a bit of a silver lining connected to added heat. If it means milder winters, the World Health Organization says fewer people may die of winter's cold.

But, on balance, Senay concludes, experts expect climate change will hurt our health more than it will help.

[michellem99-2009]

Sorry dear, should be 24/7. I try to proof read 'fore hitting the button. Have to use a magnifier. Am human. Hate my blindness as I miss out on so mush the seeing take for granted. Plus Gramma they would have sites where you are can find out you can do this first. Nanny govt. for ya.
I don't have a problem recyling but it is not blind friendly. I try. Can't waste water as have to pay for usage. They got you coming and going, don't they.

[michellem99-2009]

GrammaWhamma, I hope you can put that up. Zoning laws...seem to me they be happy you took that step..Their problem is..who knows what..You are so lucky to live in the sticks...Why not use that wind. Solar power I know very little about. them There has to be a storage system for both when it is sporratic so there is power 24/4. There are places that use windmill to make power. They sell it as well so I heard.. I really don't know. I live in the city. Don't care for it. Lucky lady nobody to get on yer arse..almost nobody..

[erasmus6]

"The problem I have with the global warming people is that I see most of them as alarmists and fanatics who spread panic and fear among the vulnerable." posted by GrammaWhamma

No one wants people to panic but some genuine fear might motivate people into doing what they should have been doing in the first place.
People SHOULD be alarmed with what is going on right now. We have been polluting our air and water for years and years and now we are paying for it. Sure, there are some like you who do their part, but most don't. We now have a serious problem and unless everybody does their part, it isn't going to be enough.

Anyone that doesn't feel some fear about what IS happening and what IS going to happen to this planet if we don't start making some SERIOUS changes is "BRAIN DEAD".

[erasmus6]

harp1963

I think that every person in China already has a car! There isn't room for any more.

Years ago Shirley Maclaine wrote a book about her travels to China and she said that there was so many cars, that if you were wanting in, you had to just close your eyes and BOOT it and hope someone let you in.

[grammawhamma]

Global Warming is a fact, it's hard to imagine anyone not realizing that, the evidence is everywhere. Alaska, Pacific Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Europe. Heat waves, wildfires, floods, etc.

posted by gabbysmomrs

Gabbysmom...you are the perfect example of someone freaking out over stuff that has happened in this world since the world began. Relax...it is the earth's normal cycle. (This is what I meant about the global warming alarmists setting fear in the hearts of the vulnerable.) Just do your part to treat our earth kindly. Don't freak out!!

[grammawhamma]

luvcomments: Thank you. I looked at that website and will check it out further. I live on a hill surrounded by farm fields and it is almost always windy here. The problems I predict running into however are: financing, zoning laws, and negative pressure from the local electric company....maybe even from some environmentalists. I still think wind generated energy is a wonderful resource that needs further investigation. Wind is free and it is clean...the only problem I can see with it is that it can be sporatic...but then again so is solar power.

[gabbysmomrs]

Global Warming is a fact, it's hard to imagine anyone not realizing that, the evidence is everywhere. Alaska, Pacific Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Europe. Heat waves, wildfires, floods, etc.

It has been brutally hot where I am and I can't help but think of the Twilight Zone show where heat was killing everything and everyone. Whether it is man-made or not, We have to do what we can to stop contributing to the warming and least prepare for the warming as well as we can. I don't think it we can stop it, but we can, perhaps, help the Earth and life on it.

[gabbysmomrs]

Global Warming is a fact, it's hard to imagine anyone not realizing that, the evidence is everywhere. Alaska, Pacific Islands, the Gulf of Mexico, Europe. Heat waves, wildfires, floods, etc.

It has been brutally hot where I am and I can't help but think of the Twilight Zone show where heat was killing everything and everyone. Whether it is man-made or not, We have to do what we can to stop contributing to the warming and least prepare for the warming as well as we can. I don't think it we can stop it, but we can, perhaps, help the Earth and life on it.

[luvcomments]

grammawhamma

here's how to install one....I hope.

www.homepower.com/writing

www.homepower.com/magazine/authorguidelines.cfm

[michellem99-2009]

I am not going to live as long as most may. But he already made us live in fear and man you put in there. I won't deny there are things bad. Gramma would there be help on the web to help you set one up, or info about it for where you are. I loved the Maine living in the sticks..