PHAN Conference September 22, 2015 Potential Health Impacts Of Climate Change Scott E. Holmes, MS, REHS Manager, Environmental Public Health Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department

Photograph by John McColgan in the Bitterroot National Forest Photo by John McColgan, Selway Bitteroot National Forest

A NASA satellite photo July 9, 2014 shows the smoke from the Northwest Territories Impacting the Midwest

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE UNITED STATES Chapter 9 Human Health - Key Messages 1. Climate change threatens human health and well-being in many ways, including impacts from increased extreme weather events, wildfire, decreased air quality, threats to mental health, and illnesses transmitted by food, water, and disease-carriers such as mosquitoes and ticks. Some of these health impacts are already underway in the U.S. 2. Climate change will, absent other changes, amplify some of the existing health threats the nation now faces. Certain people and communities are especially vulnerable, including children, the elderly, the sick, the poor, and some communities of color. 3. Public health actions, especially preparedness and prevention, can do much to protect people from some of the impacts of climate change. Early action provides the largest health benefits. As threats increase, our ability to adapt to future changes may be limited. 4. Responding to climate change provides opportunities to improve human health and well-being across many sectors, including energy, agriculture, and transportation. Many of these strategies offer a variety of benefits, protecting people while combating climate change and providing other societal benefits.

Adapted from "A Human Health Perspective: On Climate Change" by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences © 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation. All Rights Reserved.

Typical day in Lincoln, NE

Flint Hills of Kansas: Range & Prairie Management

Lincoln to Manhattan – 135 miles Due North Smoke travel time 6 to 20 + hours

Violation

Where was the Worst Air Quality in the U.S.A. on April 18, 2014?

Lincoln, Nebraska April 18, 2014 Lincoln Journal Star

Lewis Ziska, USDA xas/2014/05/08/how- climate-change-is-making- allergies-worse/

Climate Change and Allergies Health & Economic Impacts More people affected by allergies due to higher “dose” and longer exposure Increased sick days Increased medical care Increased use of antihistamines, inhalers, etc. Decreased productivity

Lyme Disease - Progression Rash Bells’ Palsy, Severe Headaches Joint Pain Severe joint paint Arthritic joints Numbness, tingling Chronic pain

Projected Changes in Tick Habitat The black legged tick (deer tick) Ixodes scapularis carries Lyme disease which is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi Brownstein et al. Ecohealth. Mar 2005; 2(1): 38–46.

Projected Lyme disease in the US by the year Brownstein et al. Ecohealth. Mar 2005; 2(1): 38–46

Culex tarsalis – primary vector (carrier) of West Nile Virus

Heavy Downpours Are Increasing Exposure to Disease

Nebraska Fish Consumption Advisories – 2013 Primarily Due to Mercury Contamination 92 Lakes and Streams in Nebraska

Water Contamination & Impairment Nebraska – NDEQ website 2014