IOWA VIEW

Clean Power Plan will help save lives

Yogesh Shah

The human health effects of climate change are real and already being felt in Iowa.

Thankfully, the Environmental Protection Agency has just finalized the Clean Power Plan, which includes the first ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants in the United States.

As a physician, I firmly believe that these carbon pollution safeguards are essential for us to protect the health of our children and families. By reducing the largest source of our country’s carbon pollution, we will help clean the dirty air that contributes to both climate change and public health disasters.

Infectious diseases are on the rise as organisms that carry them move north due to rising temperatures.

Mosquitoes and ticks that transmit diseases such as West Nile fever, dengue fever, malaria, and chikungunya are living longer, multiplying faster, and expanding their range.

Diseases that were formerly unknown in Iowa are now being contracted here. An example of this is Lyme disease. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health information, there were 247 cases of Lyme disease reported in Iowa in 2013, a 110.5 percent increase over the previous three-year period and the highest number of cases recorded since 2002 when reporting first began.

Not only does air pollution cause physical ailments, but it also exacerbates existing medical conditions. People with preexisting lung diseases face greater risks from air pollution than those without. These risks include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and asthma attacks — all of which increase the need for medical attention and visits to emergency rooms.

People with cardiovascular disease face a higher risk of complications as well. Air pollution can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, also raising the need for emergency medical attention. Moreover, children, seniors, and low income families are disproportionately affected by climate change and carbon pollution.

Children’s lungs are still developing and therefore face greater risk of bronchitis from air pollution. They can even suffer from lower lung function, which puts them at risk of developing lung disease as they age.

On the other end of the spectrum, elderly people are more at risk for developing respiratory and cardiovascular problems after breathing in fine particle pollution.

By reducing carbon pollution under the Clean Power Plan we will also reduce exposure to these other air pollutants. EPA projects that the Clean Power Plan could help avoid 140,000 to 150,000 asthma attacks in children and between 2,700 and 6,600 premature deaths by 2030.

With our abundant wind energy in Iowa, and continued growth of additional clean energy like solar, Iowa is well situated to meet the targets for the state under the Clean Power Plan. Let’s continue to lead the way in reducing our carbon pollution so that we can protect human health now and for generations to come.

DR. YOGESH SHAH is the associate dean of global health at Des Moines University. Contact: Yogesh.Shah@dmu.edu.