Houston Chronicle

Federal report says warming is making Americans sicker

- By Seth Borenstein

WASHINGTON — Man-made global warming is making America sicker, and it’s only going to get worse, according to a new federal government report.

The 3 32-page report issued Monday by the Obama administra­tion said global warming will make the air dirtier, water more contaminat­ed and food more tainted.

It warned of diseases, such as those spread by ticks and mosquitoes, longer allergy seasons, and thousands of heat wave deaths.

Environmen­tal Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy said if that’s not enough, climate change affects people’s mental health, too.

“It’s not just about polar bears and melting ice caps. It’s about our f amilies. It’s about our future,” McCarthy said at a White House event unveiling the report.

Climate change affects more people in more ways than anything doctors have seen in the past, said Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. He said the report allows doctors to better quantify “the sheer number of pathways through which climate affects health.”

That includes air pollution worsened from power plants, pollen and even wildfires, he said.

“Not being able to breathe is one of the most frightenin­g experience” for people, Murthy said. “We’re talking about scary moments for parents and children.”

Asthma is already the No. 1 cause of children going to the hospital and “now we’re seeing it worsening because of the heat, the allergens,” and air pollution, said Lynn Goldman, dean of the George Washington University’s public health school.

White House science adviser John Holdren highlighte­d heat waves, saying that even with some reduction in emissions of heat-trapping gases globally, “we can see thousands to tens of thousands of heat-related deaths in the United States each summer.”

Centers of Disease Control and Prevention computer simulation­s of 209 cities show that extra summer heat deaths will outweigh fewer winter cold deaths from climate change, said CDC’s Shubhayu Saha, a study lead author.

Holdren said the report is based on more than 1,800 published scientific studies and new federal research, and was reviewed by the National Academies of Sciences.

“The report clearly establishe­s that climate change is a major threat to public health in the United States,” said Howard Frumkin, dean of the University of Washington’s public health school, who wasn’t part of the report.

Frumkin said t he government isn’t doing enough.

“There is a vast disconnect between the magnitude of the problem, as outlined by this report, and the response of government health agencies.”

 ?? Associated Press file ?? A runner wears a mask for allergies during the U.S. track and field championsh­ips in Eugene, Ore. A report issued Monday listed how global warming will make the air dirtier, water more contaminat­ed and food more tainted.
Associated Press file A runner wears a mask for allergies during the U.S. track and field championsh­ips in Eugene, Ore. A report issued Monday listed how global warming will make the air dirtier, water more contaminat­ed and food more tainted.

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