Climate change and lung health

PJ Helms

European Respiratory Society

University of Aberdeen Scotland UK

Lung health and climate change

• Smog = high temp & High humidity

• Vegetation change (pollens moulds)

• Extreme weather events

• Young and old vulnerable

DiseasesAsthmaRhinitis and allergies COPDRespiratory infectionsLung cancerComorbidities

Environmental factorsAir pollutionExtreme summer eventsExtreme winter eventsThunderstormsAllergens

Lung health and climate change

Gilmour MI, et al. How exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollutants, and increased pollen burdens influences the incidence of asthma. Environ.Health Perspect. 2006;114:627-33.

Stach A, et al. Prevalence of Artemisia species pollinosis in western Poland: impact of climate change on aerobiological trends, 1995-2004. J.Investig.Allergol.Clin.Immunol. 2007;17:39-47.

Exposures change as climate changes

Children spend more time outside and inhale more air per unit body weight compared to adults,potentially exposing them to higher concentrations of outdoor air pollutants.

Children’s Health and the environment in North AmericaCommission for environmental cooperation

McConnell R, Berhane K, Gilliland F et al.Asthma in exercising children exposed to ozone: a cohort study.Lancet 2002; 359: 386-391.

McConnell R, Berhane K, Gilliland F et al.Prospective study of air pollution and bronchitic symptoms in children with asthma. AJRCCM 2003;168:790-797

Exposure can impair lung function development in children and that the carbon content of airway macrophages is related to lung function impairment.

Gauderman WJ, et al. The effect of air pollution on lung development from 10 to 18 years of age. N.Engl.J Med 2004;351:1057-67.

Kulkarni N,et al . Carbon in airway macrophages and lung function in children1. N.Engl.J.Med. 2006;355:21-30.

Lung health and air pollution

Climate change and lung health

• Acute effects in established lung disease

• Increased vulnerability in old and young

• Long term (lifetime) effects

• Changing exposures with changing ecology

• Adjuvant effects of pollutants and allergens

ERS Mission

To alleviate suffering from respiratory disease and to promote lung health through research, knowledge sharing, medical and public education.

ELF mission

ELF is the public voice of the ERS.

Aims to:• Share the knowledge and expertise of the ERS

with the general public• Raise awareness about lung diseases in Europe• Provide reliable patient educational material• Disseminate lung health information to policy

makers and politicians

Patient information on the web• Internet has become important mass medium for

health information and health-care services.• European citizens are avid consumers of health-

related information on the internet.• Quality of information is a important issue for

medicine.• Serious concerns about quality of many of the

sites• Number of tools available to rate/grade material.

ELF Criteria

• Credibility

• Content

• Design

• Interactivity

• Links

• Overall rating

• What is essential?• What is desirable?• Reviewers comments

For patients

• Accurate, up-to-date information on lung diseases from the ERS

• Links to trusted national lung disease sites• Opportunity to post stories and testimonials• News items on all lung diseases, specifically

scientific studies that may affect patients in the future

For politicians/policy makers

• Information on the risk factors that affect lung health and lung disease (e.g. tobacco, the environment and diet)

• News from the EU on lung issues• Calendar with events in Europe and where the

public can play a role• Chat forum for discussion on risk factors

Factsheets

www.environment.european-lung-foundation.org

ERS supporting and educating professionals

ERS and ELF educating the public

The ERS/ELF lung function tent at annual ERS congresses