Climate change: worried doctors

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Climate change: worried doctors




by recyclinage » 14/11/09, 10:17

Climate change: doctors worried about human health

PARIS - Allergies, respiratory and infectious diseases, the impact of climate change on human health must be considered a major issue at the next summit in Copenhagen, warn doctors and experts.

Polar bears will not be the only victims of climate change, underlined the participants in the "Urgence Santé Climat" conference organized Thursday in Paris by the Association santé environment France (Asef - 2.500 doctors).

"New diseases and epidemics, more environmental disasters are foreseeable, with each time the most vulnerable and the poorest populations who will be the first to be affected", according to Dr. Sandrine Segovia-Kueny, general delegate of Asef.

In tropical regions, the increase in cyclones "causes direct deaths", underlined the doctor and explorer Jean-Louis Etienne.

In Europe, the heat wave of summer 2003 caused more than 70.000 deaths, including 15.000 in France.

And by the end of the century, the increase in this type of event - heat waves could mark every other summer in France - could cause 86.000 deaths per year in Europe, according to Stéphane Isoard, expert from the Agence European environment based in Copenhagen.

“Extreme events” can also cause victims later, due to post-traumatic stress.

Thus during the floods that occurred in the Gard in 2002, 953 people with "psychological disorders" had to be taken care of, according to a recent report from the National Observatory on the Effects of Global Warming (Onerc).

Martin Guespereau, Director General of the French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Afsset), for his part warned against the risks linked to microbiology.

"With 1 to 2 degrees Celsius more in sea water, there are bacteria that can grow, posing a potential danger of transmission to humans," he said. "Warmer water also means the proliferation of algae and algae can be toxic".

As for vector-borne diseases, they are upon us. The mosquito vector of chikungunya is installed in the south-east of France and has started its ascent towards the north. For the head of Afsset, "this is clearly an effect of transport and warming".

And climate change, "it is also a modification of the ultra-violet to which we will be subjected, and these UV have direct effects on ophthalmology, macular degeneration" (AMD, a disease of the retina), a-t -he indicates.

We should also expect an explosion of respiratory illnesses caused by air pollution.

"20% to 25% of the population suffers from allergic phenomena, this is twice as many as 20 years ago," said Mr. Guespereau.

Pollen, released in increasing quantities during extended flowering periods, boosted by warming, is responsible.

Ozone pollution for its part leads to a decrease in respiratory volume - "you cough more easily" - said Professor Gérard Huchon, secretary general of the French Federation of Pneumology.

Fine particles can also "decrease respiratory function in asthmatics, especially children, and increase adult mortality from respiratory cancer," he added.

In addition, there can be "interactions" between these different pollutants and temperature, he warned, a dangerous cocktail of ozone, fine particles and heat.

(© AFP / November 12 2009 16h10)


http://www.romandie.com/infos/news2/091 ... jtjthw.asp
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