Published 2 September 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b3530
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3530

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Global warming is more harmful for people with respiratory problems, warns specialist society

Rory Watson

1 Brussels

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The estimated increase in the risk of premature death among people with respiratory problems that would result from a 1°C rise in global temperature is more than double that in the rest of the population, the European Respiratory Society says.

As pressure mounts on governments to agree tougher measures to tackle climate change at negotiations in Copenhagen shortly before Christmas, the society is urging policy makers and health professionals to pay greater attention to the effects of global warming on people with asthma, rhinosinusitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and respiratory tract infections.

In a position statement published in its journal (European Respiratory Journal doi:10.1183/09031936.00003409) the society points out various factors that could all affect respiratory diseases in the short and long term. These include extreme temperatures, changes in air pollution, floods, damp housing, thunderstorms, changes in allergen disposition and consequent allergies, forest fires, and dust storms.

Its . . . [Full text of this article]


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