Climate change increases health problems such as asthma and cancer
Published: Thursday, Apr 4th 2024, 12:01
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Climate change is damaging the immune system. According to a new international study with Swiss participation, global warming, air pollution and the decline in biodiversity are exacerbating health problems such as asthma, allergies and cancer.
"Climate change poses an existential threat to the health of humans, animals and the entire ecosystem," the research team wrote in the study, which was published on Thursday in the journal "Frontiers in Science". For their study, the researchers compiled the current state of knowledge on the influence of climate change and environmental pollution on the immune system.
Our immune system develops over time and reacts to everything that surrounds us. From the food we eat to the air we breathe. Through exposure to a variety of microbes and chemicals in the environment, the immune system learns what is dangerous and needs to be removed from the body and what is harmless and can be ignored.
Immune system too slow
"From an evolutionary perspective, the immune system is constantly adapting to respond to the environment; however, recent changes have been too rapid for our immune system to adapt adequately," said lead author Ioana Agache from Transilvania University of Brasov in Romania in a press release on the study.
The decline in biodiversity and urbanization have reduced the "positive" environmental influences, the researchers explained. This contributes to the fact that the immune system can no longer develop properly.
Poor and elderly particularly affected
At the same time, people are increasingly exposed to "negative" pollution. For example, due to rising temperatures and the higher CO2 content in the air, there is more pollen in the air for longer periods of the year, which is more harmful to health. In addition, forest fires and sand and dust storms have become more frequent due to climate change, which leads to more smoke and sand particles in the air. The increase in flooding and heavy rainfall as a result of climate change is also leading to more mold growth in households, especially in poorly air-conditioned homes.
Added to this are stress factors such as unusually high temperatures, to which people are increasingly exposed as a result of climate change, according to the study. According to the researchers, these changes are the main causes of the recent rise in allergies, asthma, cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. People with low socio-economic status or pre-existing conditions are particularly at risk, as are the very young and the elderly.
Climate protection is profitable
Measures to adapt to climate change, as well as measures to limit climate change, are of crucial importance for health, the researchers wrote in the study.
"Such interventions also offer a good economic return on investment: for every US dollar spent on climate protection, at least three US dollars are saved through health benefits, mainly through a reduction in diseases such as asthma and allergies," they added.
University of Zurich researchers Cezmi and Mubeccel Akdis and Yasutaka Mitamura were also involved in the study, which was led by Kari Nadeau from Harvard University in the USA.
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