Last week, a group of federal agencies issued a report on the threat climate change poses to health, analyzing what areas need to be studied. The report, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, basically states that the climate will force people to “negotiate with their changing environment as never before to find ways to reshape it both for short-term protection and long-term alleviation of health consequences”. Jane Lubchenco, head of NOAA, commented:

“To mitigate and adapt to the health effects of climate change, we must first understand them. This report is a vital new roadmap for doing that. There is an urgent need to get started.”

There is quite the list of health conditions and areas that need to be researched further, including:

• Asthma, respiratory allergies and airway diseases

• Cancer

• Diseases spread by insects and other vectors

• Foodborne diseases and nutrition

• Heat-related sickness and death

• Heart disease and stroke

• Human growth and development

• Mental health and stress-related disorders

• Neurological diseases

• Waterborne diseases

• Weather-related injuries and death

Specific things that need to be studied include how the climate may contaminate beaches, drinking water, and seafood, plus how changes in extreme weather events will affect sewage discharges and run-off.