Climate change comes with adverse health effects, scientists say

BOSTON -- Scientists continue to sound the alarm when it comes to the adverse health effects of climate change and new studies find that the human heart does not fare well in extreme heat.

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reviewed nearly 500 previous studies examining extreme temperatures, ground-level ozone, wildfire smoke, and extreme weather events such as hurricanes in dozens of countries. They found that exposure to extreme temperature was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and death, and was even worse when combined with higher levels of ground-level ozone.

Extreme events also posed a risk that lasted months after the initial incident. Not surprisingly, older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and lower-income communities were disproportionately affected.

In:
• Climate Change
• Heat
• Heart Attack
• Heat Wave
• Heart Disease

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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