Archive
Taxonomy Archive: opinion/editorial
20 Apr 2018 |
 |
 |
Surveyed doctors report climate change is hamring health
Springtime blooms mark the arrival of pollen season in Virginia, and for allergy sufferers the misery seems to be getting worse every year. In fact, it actually is. Doctors across the U.S. are confirming what climate scientists, who have the tools to study atmospheric and oceanic changes, have concluded — climate change is ...
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
How rising carbon is changing seasonal allergies
Nasal sprays, eye drops, pills, melts and inhalers fill the pharmacy shelves. Kids are kept inside with windows shut, parents struggle through work with bright red, itchy eyes, soccer practices are skipped and allergy shots begun. This is the face of allergies, circa 2015. If you think allergies are worse than they used to be, […]
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Adopting clean-fuels standard is a public health imperative
EACH and every day, we take an average of 21,000 breaths. For some of us, those breaths come and go without a thought. For those with asthma or other lung diseases, each breath can be a struggle.In our state, more than a half million adults and 105,000 youths have asthma. Dirty air can trigger severe […]
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Our children need cleaner air
As a pediatrician practicing in Houston, I understand all too well how much our county’s “F” grade for ozone in our air affects my young patients. I recently testified at a public hearing in Arlington held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about just how dangerous this poor air quality is for children. My ...
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Suspending work on Clean Power Plan is not healthy for Utahns
As a physician who has spent many years trying to improve the health of my patients and communities here in Utah, the recent debate about the clean air standards in our state has been troubling. President Obama’s ambitious Clean Power Plan, which aims to limit the amount of carbon pollution that power plants can release, […]
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Air Pollution is Yet Another Issue that Disproportionately Impacts Minority and Low-Income Communities
First responders are trained to give people immediate life-saving care and get people out of dangerous situations. When a patient is suffering an asthma attack that’s caused by air pollution in their community, we can administer drugs to calm the attack, but we know it is only a temporary fix. To reduce the risk over […]
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
The Clean Power Plan: A Public Health Victory Needing Medical Attention
On August 3, 2015 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued guidelines to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants. This action, known as the Clean Power Plan, is the single biggest step the United States has taken to address climate change. CO2 accounts for more than 80% of greenhouse gas ...
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
How Deadly Is Your Kilowatt? We Rank The Killer Energy Sources
Everyone’s heard of the carbon footprint of different energy sources, the largest footprint belonging to coal because every kWhr of energy produced emits about 900 grams of CO2. Wind and nuclear have the smallest carbon footprint with only 15 g emitted per kWhr, and that mainly from concrete production, construction, and mining ...
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Whether doctor or meteorologist, when we fail to look at systemic causes of the immediate problems in front of us, we are guilty of malpractice.
At the core of medical and of public health training, we learn that you cannot just look narrowly at the problem in front of you, you are obliged to look for the systemic causes, how did the patient get into this state and what are the challenges going forward? Failing to do so is malpractice. […]
20 Apr 2018 |
|
|
Solcing the climate crisis, one hospital at a time
With early optimism surrounding the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change now fading into anxiety over potential changes to U.S. environmental policy under a Trump administration, many are looking for new leaders in the fight against global warming. Hospitals should step into the breach. Doing so could both slow climate change and ...