Climate Change Is Worsening Chronic Illness
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Lorraine Boissoneault describes a July Chicago air quality event reaching AQI 753 from Canadian wildfire smoke that worsened her arthritis pain and headaches even with windows closed and air purifiers running.
- Wildfire particulate matter has been linked in research to new rheumatoid arthritis cases, worsening lupus symptoms, and potential connections to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and asthma.
- European heat in June killed approximately 10,000 people, with those having heart disease, diabetes, or thyroid disease — and those on beta blockers or certain antidepressants — at elevated risk.
- Floods produce mold spores that worsen long Covid and myalgic encephalomyelitis symptoms, and flood remediation exposes people to lead paint and asbestos hazards.
- Warming temperatures are expanding the range of ticks and mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus, Lyme disease, dengue, chikungunya, and alpha-gal syndrome.
- Foodborne pathogens like the cyclospora parasite mature faster in warmer temperatures, and salmonella is more likely to survive and replicate on lettuce at higher humidity levels.
- Boissoneault calls for investing in the CDC, FDA, and NOAA and pursuing universal healthcare, housing access, and infrastructure updates to build climate resilience.
Why it matters: The author documents concrete climate-driven health damages — roughly 10,000 European heat deaths in June, Chicago's AQI hitting 753 from wildfire smoke, and expanding vector-borne disease ranges — while arguing that defunding the CDC, FDA, and NOAA would gut the tracking infrastructure needed to respond.
Ask SkimNews
