Climate Change, Particulate Pollution, and Air Quality

We’re back with another episode on climate change and health, and this time we’re looking at some of the indirect health effects, with a focus on how things like air pollution and allergens arise from a warming planet and make us sick, particularly affecting our respiratory system.

Related HCT episodes:
Climate and Health Playlist:

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Credits:
Aaron Carroll -- Writer
Tiffany Doherty -- Writer and Script Editor
John Green -- Executive Producer
Stan Muller -- Director, Producer
Mark Olsen – Art Director, Producer

[mason]

i live in Rhode island and the wildfire smoke from Canada has been pretty bad lately. i work outside and can feel it in my chest some days.

[alexcrouse]

I want to know what Sam does for a living. They have been top contributor for a LONG time!

Thanks, Sam!

[thfr]

Love the casual situs inversus X-ray at about 2:50

[scottabc]

Well this is topical as a massive cloud of smoky haze has descended from Canadian forest fires has gotten as far as Philadelphia where I am today

[pnwmeditations]

A perspective I appreciated from a climate policy analyst: even if climate change was somehow a big hoax, the cost/benefit on decarbonization would be worth it just on the grounds of pollution reduction alone, and its downstream health impacts.

[chelseashurmantine]

I think there should be a counter in the corner of every news station like during the BP gulf spill that shows air particulates. Because this ish is usually invisible, it’s hard to demand action or get people to care

[mccannms]

Good video, but a couple of nits - 3 oxygen ATOMS, (not molecules) and definitely not odorless.

[emilyplunkett]

This video came on a day when the viability in Ottawa were comparable to my brown gradient sunglasses; all due to the Ontario/Quebec fires, which are all immediately north and west of the city. It's weird, because I'm originally from the Canadian side of the Great Lakes and have dealt with summer smog warnings all my life - but I've never experienced anything quite like this.

[charlespentrose]

I've had a cough for the past few days and am wondering if smoke from wildfires is causing irritation.

[muphynman]

I'd be very interested in an expanded video about the footnote at 6:56 to create communities that promote walking and biking.

The Dutch government, in it's administration of their public healthcare coverage system, conducts and publishes studies about the monetary and non-monetary results of their world-famous bicycle culture.

As Healthcare Triage has mentioned in former episodes that very modest increases in daily physical activity have substantial health benefits, both for healthcare expenditute and quality of life of the individual, I would expect that corresponding reductions in air and noise pollution are also discussed in their papers that can tie to this episode.

Supplemental data for such an episode can probably also be helped by another established biking country like Denmark for long-term health data, and maybe short-term looks can be found in more recent up-and-coming bike cities like Paris, London, and New York City, cities with a history of local pollution so bad it hits the history textbooks and not just the medical ones.

Less probable, a collaborative effort with youtuber Not Just Bikes would be a great idea and provide a big crossover in audiences that probably have a lot in common!

[平和-vz]

Great presentation, very informative!

[CG_Hali]

Diddo on wildfires in Ontario. We live 100km from 2 of them. There's a slight grey haze to the forest. What's interesting is I'm very sensitive and the smell doesn't affect me as much as cold winter days where I literally choke if there's a pin hole leak of wood smoke. Yet we only turned off our air exchanger yesterday. In winter we have to condemn it, lock windows and use weather tape on some windows. Not in this case.
Smoke isn't coming in much at all, but people who aren't bothered by winter much are having issues. So there's a definite difference in air quality (levels of air particules and types) from forest fires that make it worse than normal wood burning (still a lot in our rural town). Maybe because the particules are bigger and irritate lungs differently?!?
The sun shining orange in the house is also a bit ominous O_O

[WoLpH]

The name "ozone" is derived from the Greek word Ozein, meaning, "to smell". It is certainly not odourless ;)

[sorchaazuragaming]

The Canadian wildfire smoke got much worse overnight (eastern PA). The light coming in the window is distinctly yellow, and walking outside was like getting doused in a bottle of liquid smoke flavor. My kid isn’t going to the playground anytime soon 😢

[sixvee]

May the Anthropocene epoch make the Permian-Triassic extinction event seem like a minor footnote in the pages of Earths history. Here's to making scenario SSP5-8.5 of the IPCC assessment a reality.

[chairshoe]

he said its odorless but if youve ever used an ozone machine you know its a super nasty cloistering floral plasticy smell that makes your body panic

[Knedlajz]

there's no reason why there should be so many cars in cities, if they're well designed everything can be reached by public transit or by walking/cycling and other means of transportation that don't have individual people sitting in individual 2 ton metal boxes spewing exhaust everywhere on the street

[Susan-zm]

We live and work away from the city and air is fantastic. Internet is fast mobile phone full reception. Amazon next day delivery to our house and office

[elliotv]

If ozone dissapates in a matter of hours why does this matter? Genuinely asking

[EB-vjrr]

Why isnt Dr. Doherty credited as such, just with her credentials?