CMAJ • August 16, 2005; 173 (4). doi:10.1503/cmaj.1050057.
© 2005 CMA Media Inc. or its licensors
All editorial matter in CMAJ represents the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Canadian Medical Association.
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Letters
Correspondance

Climate change and health

David V. Bates

Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Victoria, BC

Sari Kovats and Andrew Haines, in their commentary on the interrelationship between global climate change and health,1 comment on the increase in deaths from extreme heat in Europe, particularly France, during summer 2003. It is important to note that some of these deaths were due to the elevated tropospheric ozone levels that accompanied the high temperatures.2 In the Netherlands, about 400 deaths were attributed to ozone,3 and similar calculations have been done for France and Britain.

In 1990, I reviewed the implications of global warming at a parliamentary conference,4 noting that increased ozone levels would occur unless precursor emissions were reduced. Neither Canada nor the United States has succeeded in effecting major reductions in the emissions of oxides of nitrogen, and these are still substantial, as illustrated in a recent newsletter from the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation.5 It has also recently been documented that tropospheric ozone levels are slowly rising over the North Atlantic.6

Fortunately, any steps taken to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will also reduce oxide of nitrogen emissions, with a consequent lowering of ozone levels. All physicians should agree with Kovats and Haines that it is urgent for Canada not only to implement the Kyoto Protocol but also to take an international leadership role in urging much greater reductions.

References

  1. Kovats RS, Haines A. Global climate change and health: recent findings and future steps [editorial]. CMAJ 2005;172(4):501-2.[Free Full Text]
  2. Schwartz J. How sensitive is the association between ozone and daily deaths to control for temperature? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2005;171:627-31.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
  3. Fischer PH, Brunekreef B, Lebret E. Air pollution related deaths during the 2003 heat wave in the Netherlands. Atmos Environ 2004;38:1083-5.[CrossRef]
  4. Bates DV. Health effects of global warming. In: Parliamentary Forum on Global Climate Change; 1990 Apr 23-24. Ottawa: House of Commons.
  5. First look at air pollution from over 1,000 fossil-fuel power plants in North America. Trio [serial online] Winter 2003-2004;(14). Available: www.cec.org/trio/stories/index.cfm?ed=14&ID=159&varlan=english (accessed 2005 Apr 27).
  6. Lelieveld J, Van Aardenne J, Fischer H, DeReus M, Williams J, Winkler P. Increasing ozone over the Atlantic Ocean. Science 2004;304:1843-7.




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