Page 56 - GALENIKA MEDICAL JOURNAL

CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH

Nevenka Ilić 1
1 Institute of Public Health Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia dermatitis. Exposure to algae biotoxins in marine
animals, water, or air causes short-term memory

Corresponding author: disorders and worsening of Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's diseases, and chemical substances and
Dr sci. med. Nevenka Ilić
heavy metals (released from destroyed warehouses
Institut za javno zdravlje Kragujevac, Nikole Pašića 1, in disasters or sewage spills), as well as insecticides,
Kragujevac, Srbija and pesticides have an immunotoxic, genotoxic and
ilic.nena.nevenka@gmail.com carcinogenic effect. Mental disorders that occur
after natural disasters range from acute traumatic
stress to chronic stress conditions, such as post-
Abstract traumatic stress disorders, depression, anxiety,
psychosomatic disorders, sexual dysfunctions, and
Compared to the end of the 19th century, the average alcohol and drug abuse. The long-term effects of
temperature of the earth's surface is higher by 1.1o climate change (natural disasters, sea level rise,
C, and the last decade (2011-2020) was the warmest destruction of the economy, reduction of natural
recorded since 1850. Mortality rate to high temperatures resources of food, water, fuel, risk of local wars)
increases by 1-4% for each degree of increase in air lead to migration, and by 2050 the migration
temperature due to dehydration, heatstroke, and of about 200 million people is expected.
worsening of existing respiratory and cardiovascular
diseases. Natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, Keywords: climate, human, risk, health
and storms are associated with an increase in drowning,
injuries, psychological disorders, but also contamination
of water and food with an increased risk of infectious Introduction
diseases. Temperature changes affect the interaction Climate represents an integrated statistical indicator of
of vectors and hosts, changes in ecosystems, and the temperature, air humidity, atmospheric pressure, winds,
existence of new species in a certain area, which leads precipitation, and other meteorological elements in a spe-
to an increase in diseases transmitted by mosquitoes cific region over a defined period (an average of 30 years).
(malaria, dengue, chikungunya, and West Nile virus), The variability of atmospheric changes is determined by al-
ticks (Lyme disease), flies (leishmaniasis), snails terations on Earth's surface, volcanic activities, changes in
(schistosomiasis), etc. Animal and plant diseases, in Earth's axis, variations in solar radiation intensity, as well as
addition to natural disasters and pollution, further the negative impact of human activities that directly or in-
directly alter the composition of the global atmosphere on
increase the reduction in the amount of food, which Earth, further contributing to climate change.
results in an increase in malnutrition of the human
population, from which 3.5 million people die every Compared to the end of the XIX century, today the ave-
year. Frequent fires (increase in fine particles 2.5-10 μm rage surface temperature of the Earth is higher by 1.1 ±
and dust) and chemical air pollution (increase in the 0.12°C, and in the last 25 years, there has been acceleration
concentration of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, ozone, in the increase of the mean temperature by 0.18°C per de-
cade (exceeding the upper limit of natural climate tempera-
and fine particles smaller than 2.5 μm) cause an increase ture variations). Thus, the last decade (2011-2020) was the
in diseases of the respiratory (asthma, bronchitis, warmest recorded since 1850 (Graph 1). The greenhouse
1-3
pneumonia, lung cancer) and the cardiovascular system effect refers to the warming of the Earth due to the increa-
(arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarction, deep vein sed production of gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous
thrombosis, pulmonary embolism). The change in the oxide, ozone, etc.) that absorb and emit radiation within
pattern of plant vegetation, with the increase in the the infrared thermal range in the atmosphere, leading to
3
concentration of pollen in the air, leads to an increased warming or changes in global climate . The increased pro-
incidence of allergic diseases, which will reach the level duction of these gases is primarily associated with the in-
dustrial revolution and the increased burning of fossil fuels.
of a pandemic in 2050 with about four billion people The time it takes for these gases to be eliminated from the
suffering from asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic

54 DOI: 10.5937/Galmed2409062I