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American Thoracic Society supports EPA's Clean Power Plan
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The American Thoracic Society has announced its support for the recent EPA Clean Power Plan proposal, including how it relates to the impact on asthma and allergic rhinitis.
“As a pediatric pulmonologist who cares for children with severe health problems, we are beginning to recognize the health effects of global warming in our practices,” Tom Ferkol, MD, ATS president and director of the division of pediatric allergy, immunology and pulmonary medicine at the Washington University School of Medicine, said in a press release. “The ATS strongly supports the efforts of President Barack Obama and the EPA to reduce the harmful emissions of greenhouse gasses.
Tom Ferkol
“What often gets lost in the discussion is that reducing carbon emissions also decreases other noxious pollutants like mercury, ozone and particulate matter … known as pollutants that cause neurological damage, respiratory and cardiovascular disease. By reducing carbon pollution today, our children will enjoy the benefits of cleaner air.”
A number of “adverse effects on respirator health of global climate change” were addressed in a recent ATS workshop report, including changing pollen releases that impact asthma and allergic rhinitis, and climate-driven air pollution that exacerbates pulmonary conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and associated cardiovascular diseases, the release said.