Bush's pattern of censoring scientific research for KKKonervative political
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http://www.scienceprogress.org/2007/10/redacted-testimony-of-cdc-director-julie-l.../
Redacted Testimony of CDC Director Julie L. Gerberding
The Bush Administration Continues to Muzzle Climate Science
SOURCE: AP CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding, who testified before the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday on the health
impacts of climate change.
By Science Progress | Thursday, October 25th, 2007 | Share This | Print
Below is the testimony of Director Gerberding prepared for a hearing before
the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday on the impact
of climate change on public health. The portions excised by the White House
are highlighted in red. The original document is available here; the version
presented to Congress is here.
Introduction
Good morning Madam Chairwoman, Senator Inhofe, and other distinguished
embers of the Committee. It is a pleasure to appear before you as Director
of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Nation's
leading public health protection agency located within the Department of
Health and Human Services. Thank you for the opportunity to present on
climate change and human health and to highlight the role of CDC in
preparing for and responding to the health effects of climate change.
Background
The health of all individuals is influenced by the health of people,
animals, and the environment around us. Many trends within this larger,
interdependent ecologic system influence public health on a global scale,
including climate change. The public health response to such trends requires
a holistic understanding of disease and the various external factors
influencing public health. It is within this larger context where the
greatest challenges and opportunities for protecting and promoting public
health occur.
Scientific evidence supports the view that the earth's climate is changing.
A broad array of organizations (federal, state, local, multilateral,
faith-based, private and nongovernmental) is working to address climate
change. Despite this extensive activity, the public health effects of
climate change remain largely unaddressed. CDC considers climate change a
serious public health concern.
Climate Change is a Public Health Concern
In the United States, climate change is likely to have a significant impact
on health, through links with the following outcomes:
a.. Direct effects of heat,
b.. Health effects related to extreme weather events,
c.. Air pollution-related health effects,
d.. Allergic diseases,
e.. Water- and food-borne infectious diseases,
f.. Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases,
g.. Food and water scarcity, at least for some populations,
h.. Mental health problems, and
i.. Long-term impacts of chronic diseases and other health effects
The United States is a developed country with a variety of climates. Because
of its well developed health infrastructure, and the greater involvement of
government and nongovernmental agencies in disaster planning and response,
the health effects from climate change are expected to be less significant
than in the developing world. Nevertheless, many Americans will likely
experience difficult challenges. Catastrophic weather events such as heat
waves and hurricanes are expected to become more frequent, severe, and
costly; the U.S. population is anticipated to continue to age and move to
vulnerable locations such as coastal areas, increasing exposures to specific
risks; and concurrent challenges such as water scarcity in certain regions
could limit our resilience. In addition, climate change is likely to alter
the current geographic distribution of some vector-borne and zoonotic
diseases; some may become more frequent, widespread, and outbreaks could
last longer, while others could be reduced in incidence.
Heat Stress and Direct Thermal Injury
One of the most likely climate change projections is an increase in
frequency of hot days, hot nights, and heat waves. The United States is
expected to see an increase in the severity, duration, and frequency of
extreme heat waves. This, coupled with an aging population, increases the
likelihood of higher mortality as the elderly are more vulnerable to dying
from exposure to excessive heat. Midwestern and northeastern cities are at
greatest risk, as heat-related illness and death appear to be related to
exposure to temperatures much hotter than those to which the population is
accustomed.
Extreme Weather Events
Climate change is anticipated to alter the frequency, timing, intensity, and
duration of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and floods. The
health effects of these extreme weather events range from loss of life and
acute trauma, to indirect effects such as loss of home, large-scale
population displacement, damage to sanitation infrastructure (drinking water
and sewage systems), interruption of food production, damage to the
health-care infrastructure, and psychological problems such as post
traumatic stress disorder. Displacement of individuals often results in
disruption of health care, of particular concern for those with underlying
chronic diseases. Future climate projections also show likely increases in
the frequency of heavy rainfall events, posing an increased risk of flooding
events and overwhelming of sanitation infrastructure.
Air Pollution-Related Health Effects
Climate change can affect air quality by modifying local weather patterns
and pollutant concentrations, affecting natural sources of air pollution,
and promoting the formation of secondary pollutants. Of particular concern
is the impact of increased temperature and UV radiation on ozone formation.
Some studies have shown that higher surface temperatures, especially in
urban areas, encourage the formation of ground-level ozone. As a primary
ingredient of smog, groundlevel ozone is a public health concern. Ozone can
irritate the respiratory system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma, and
inflame and damage cells that line the lungs. In addition, it may cause
permanent lung damage and aggravate chronic lung diseases.
Allergic Diseases
Studies have shown that some plants, such as ragweed and poison ivy, grow
faster and produce more allergens under conditions of high carbon dioxide
and warm weather. As a result, allergic diseases and symptoms could worsen
with climate change.
Water- and Food-borne Infectious Diseases
Altered weather patterns resulting from climate change are likely to affect
the distribution and incidence of food- and water-borne diseases. Changes in
precipitation, temperature, humidity, and water salinity have been shown to
affect the quality of water used for drinking, recreation, and commercial
use. For example, outbreaks of Vibrio bacteria infections following the
consumption of seafood and shellfish have been associated with increases in
temperatures. Heavy rainfall has also been implicated as a contributing
factor in the overloading and contamination of drinking water treatment
systems, leading to illness from organisms such as Cryptosporidium and
Giardia. Storm water runoff from heavy precipitation events can also
increase fecal bacterial counts in coastal waters as well as nutrient load,
which, coupled with increased sea-surface temperature, can lead to increases
in the frequency and range of harmful algal blooms (red tides) and potent
marine biotoxins such as ciguatera fish poisoning.
Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases
Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, such as plague, Lyme disease, West Nile
virus, malaria, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and dengue fever have been
shown to have a distinct seasonal pattern, suggesting that they are weather
sensitive. Climate change-driven ecological changes, such as variations in
rainfall and temperature, could significantly alter the range, seasonality,
and human incidence of many zoonotic and vector-borne diseases. More study
is required to fully understand all the implications of ecological variables
necessary to predict climate change effects on vector-borne and zoonotic
diseases. Moderating factors such as housing quality, land-use patterns, and
vector control programs make it unlikely that these climate changes will
have a major impact on tropical diseases such as malaria and dengue fever
spreading into the United States. However, climate change could aid in the
establishment of exotic vector-borne diseases imported into the United
States.
Food Scarcity
Climate change is predicted to alter agricultural production, both directly
and indirectly. This may lead to scarcity of some foods, increase food
prices, and threaten access to food for Americans who experience food
insecurity.
Mental Health Problems
Some Americans may suffer anxiety, depression, and similar symptoms in
anticipating climate change and/or in coping with its effects. Moreover, the
aftermath of severe events may include post-traumatic stress and related
problems, as was seen after Hurricane Katrina. These conditions are
difficult to quantify but may have significant effects of health and
well-being.
Climate Change Vulnerability
The effects of climate change will likely vary regionally and by population.
The northern latitudes of the United States are expected to experience the
largest increases in average temperatures; these areas also will likely bear
the brunt of increases in ground-level ozone and associated airborne
pollutants. Populations in mid-western and northeastern cities are expected
to experience more heat-related illnesses as heat waves increase in
frequency, severity, and duration. Coastal regions will likely experience
essentially uniform risk of sea level rise, but different rates of coastal
erosion, wetlands destruction, and topography are expected to result in
dramatically different regional effects of sea level rise. Distribution of
animal hosts and vectors may change; in many cases, ranges could extend
northward and increase in elevation. For some pathogens associated with wild
animals, such as rodents and hantavirus, ranges will change based on
precipitation changes. The west coast of the United States is expected to
experience significant strains on water supplies as regional precipitation
declines and mountain snowpacks are depleted. Forest fires are expected to
increase in frequency, severity, distribution, and duration.
The health effects of climate change on a given community will depend not
only on the particular exposures it faces, but also on the underlying health
status, age distribution, health care access, and socioeconomic status of
its residents. Local response capacity will also be important. As with other
environmental hazards, members of certain ethnic and racial minority groups
will likely be disproportionately affected. For example, in low-lying
coastal communities facing increasingly frequent and severe extreme
precipitation events, there could be increased injuries, outbreaks of
diarrheal disease, and harmful algal blooms; saltwater may intrude into
freshwater tables and infrastructure is likely to be damaged by severe
storms, hampering economic recovery. In certain Southern coastal communities
with little economic reserve, declining industry, difficulty accessing
health care, and a greater underlying burden of disease, these stressors
could be overwhelming. Similarly, in an urban area with increasingly
frequent and severe heat waves, certain groups are expected to be more
affected: the home-bound, elderly, poor, athletes, and minority and migrant
populations, and populations that live in areas with less green space and
with fewer centrally air-conditioned buildings are all more vulnerable to
heat stress.
Some populations of Americans are more vulnerable to the health effects of
climate change than others. Children are at greater risk of worsening
asthma, allergies, and certain infectious diseases, and the elderly are at
higher risk for health effects due to heat waves, extreme weather events,
and exacerbations of chronic disease. In addition, people of lower
socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events.
Members of racial and ethnic minority groups suffer particularly from air
pollution as well as inadequate health care access, while athletes and those
who work outdoors are more at risk from air pollution, heat, and certain
infectious diseases.
Given the differential burden of climate change's health effects on certain
populations, public health preparedness for climate change must include
vulnerability assessments that identify the most vulnerable populations with
the most significant health disparities and anticipate their risks for
particular exposures. At the same time, health communication targeting these
vulnerable populations must be devised and tested, and early warning systems
focused on vulnerable communities should be developed. With adequate notice
and a vigorous response, the ill health effects of many exposures from
climate change can be dampened.
Public Health Preparedness for Climate Change
Climate change is anticipated to have a broad range of impacts on the health
of Americans and the nation's public health infrastructure. As the nation's
public health agency, CDC is uniquely poised to lead efforts to anticipate
and respond to the health effects of climate change. Preparedness for the
health consequences of climate change aligns with traditional public health
contributions, and - like preparedness for terrorism and pandemic
influenza -reinforces the importance of a strong public health
infrastructure. CDC's expertise and programs in the following areas provide
the strong platform needed
a.. Environmental Public Health Tracking: CDC has a long history of
tracking occurrence and trends in diseases and health outcomes. CDC is
pioneering new ways to understand the impacts of environmental hazards on
people's health. For example, CDC's Environmental Public Health Tracking
Program has funded several states to build a health surveillance system that
integrates environmental exposures and human health outcomes. This system,
the Tracking Network, will go live in 2008, providing information on how
health is affected by environmental hazards. The Tracking Network will
contain critical data on the incidence, trends, and potential outbreaks of
diseases, including those affected by climate change
b.. Surveillance of Water-borne, Food-borne, Vector-borne, and Zoonotic
Diseases: CDC also has a long history of surveillance of infectious,
zoonotic, and vector-borne diseases. Preparing for climate change will
involve working closely with state and local partners to document whether
potential changes in climate have an impact on infectious and other diseases
and to use this information to help protect Americans from the potential
change in of a variety of dangerous water-borne, food-borne, vector-borne,
and zoonotic diseases. CDC has developed ArboNet, the national
arthropod-borne viral disease tracking system. Currently, this system
supports the nationwide West Nile virus surveillance system that links all
50 states and four large metropolitan areas to a central database that
records and maps cases in humans and animals and would detect changes in
real-time in the distribution and prevalence of cases of arthropod-borne
viral diseases. CDC also supports the major foodborne surveillance and
investigative networks of FoodNet and PulseNet which rapidly identify and
provide detailed data on cases of foodborne illnesses, on the organisms that
cause them, and on the foods that are the sources of infection. Altered
weather patterns resulting from climate change are likely to affect the
distribution and incidence of food- and waterborne diseases, and these
changes can be identified and tracked through PulseNet.
c.. Geographic Information System (GIS): At the CDC, GIS technology has
been applied in unique and powerful ways to a variety of public health
issues. It has been used in data collection, mapping, and communication to
respond to issues as wide-ranging and varied as the World Trade Center
collapse, avian flu, SARS, and Rift Valley fever. In addition, GIS
technology was used to map issues of importance during the CDC response to
Hurricane Katrina. This technology represents an additional tool for the
public health response to climate change.
d.. Modeling: Currently sophisticated models to predict climate and heat
exist. For example, CDC has conducted heat stroke modeling for the city of
Philadelphia to predict the most vulnerable populations at risk for
hyperthermia. In light of these projections, CDC has initiated efforts to
model the impact of heat waves on urban populations to identify those people
most vulnerable to hyperthermia. Modeling and forecasting represent an
important preparedness strategy, in that it can help predict and respond to
the most pressing health vulnerabilities at the state and local level. Armed
with modeling data, we can target response plans for heat and other extreme
weather events to the most vulnerable communities and populations. In light
of these projections, CDC has initiated efforts to model the impact of heat
waves on urban populations to identify those people most vulnerable to
hyperthermia.
e.. Preparedness Planning: Just as we prepare for terrorism and pandemic
influenza, we should use these principles and prepare for health impacts fro
climate change. For example, to respond to the multiple threats posed by
heat waves, the urban environment, and climate change, CDC scientists have
focused prevention efforts on developing tools that local emergency planners
and decision-makers can use to prepare for and respond to heat waves. In
collaboration with other Federal partners, CDC participated in the
development of an Excessive Heat Events Guidebook, which provides a
comprehensive set of guiding principle and a menu of options for cities and
localities to use in the development of Heat Response Plans. These plans
clearly define specific roles and responsibilities of government and
nongovernmental organizations during heat waves. They identify local
populations at increased high risk for heat-related illness and death and
determine which strategies will be used to reach them during heat
emergencies.
f.. Training and Education of Public Health Professionals - Preparing for
the health consequences of climate change requires that professionals have
the skills required to conceptualize the impending threats, integrate a wide
variety of public health and other data in surveillance activities, work
closely with other agencies and sectors, and provide effective health
communication for vulnerable populations regarding the evolving threat of
climate change. CDC is holding a series of five workshops to further explore
key dimensions of climate change and public health, including drinking
water, heat waves, health communication, vector-borne illness, and
vulnerable populations.
g.. Health Protection Research: CDC can promote research to further
elucidate the specific relationships between climate change and various
health outcomes, including predictive models and evaluations of
interventions. Research efforts can also identify the magnitude of health
effects and populations at greatest risk. For example, CDC has conducted
research on the relationship between hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and
rainfall, as well as research assessing the impact of climate variability
and climate change on temperature-related morbidity and mortality. This
information will help enable public health action to be targeted and will
help determine the best methods of communicating risk. CDC can serve as a
credible source of information on health risks and actions that individuals
can take to reduce their risk. In addition, CDC has several state-of-the-art
laboratories conducting research on such issues as chemicals and human
exposure, radiological testing, and infectious diseases. This research
capacity is an asset in working to more fully understand the health
consequences of climate change.
h.. Communication: CDC has expertise in health and risk communication, and
has deployed this expertise in areas as diverse as smoking, HIV infection,
and cancer screening. Effective communication can alert the public to health
risks associated with climate change, avoid inappropriate responses, and
encourage constructive protective behaviors.
While CDC can offer technical support and expertise in these and other
activities, much of this work needs to be carried out at the state and local
level. For example, CDC can support climate change preparedness activities
in public health agencies, and climate change and health research in
universities, as is currently practiced for a variety of other health
challenges.
Conclusion
An effective public health response to climate change can prevent injuries,
illnesses, and death and enhance overall public health preparedness.
Protecting Americans from the health effects of climate change directly
correlates to CDC's four overarching Health Protection Goals of Healthy
People in Every Stage of Life, Healthy People in Healthy Places, People
Prepared for Emerging Health Threats, and Healthy People in a Healthy World.
While we still need more focus and emphasis on public health preparedness
for climate change, many of our existing programs and scientific expertise
provide a solid foundation to move forward. Many of the activities needed to
protect Americans from the health effects of climate change are mutually
beneficial for overall public health. In addition, health and the
environment are closely linked, as strongly demonstrated by the issue of
climate change. Because of this linkage it is also important that potential
health effects of environmental solutions be fully considered.
Thank you again for the opportunity to provide this testimony on the
potential health effects of global climate change and for your continued
support of CDC's essential public health work.
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