Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Our founder and director, Eva L. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., shares her passion for the importance of environmental responsibility in a video below. As a member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Feldman is part of a group that studies climate change, the environment and human health.
The Links Between the Environment and ALS
Dr. Feldman and her team of scientists at the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies have been researching the links between environmental pollutants and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for many years. They have learned that exposure to some pollutants (e.g., pesticides, heavy metals) increases the risk of ALS onset and escalates the progression of the disease.
Michigan Health Lab: Drs. Feldman and Goutman Voice Need for More Environmental Research
Coronavirus, Climate Change, and the Environment
The environment has also played a critical role in the current COVID-19 pandemic, according to our colleagues at the Harvard Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment. C-CHANGE points out that air pollution, caused by burning fossil fuels, dramatically increases respiratory infections, like COVID and pneumonia. A study on SARS, which is closely related to COVID, found that people who breathed dirtier air were about twice as likely to die from the infection. Many infectious diseases, such as COVID, SARS and Ebola, are linked to wild animals, which are interacting with humans at a greater rate due to deforestation and other habitat loss. Bats, which have been linked to COVID, are also associated with a recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
To improve overall human health and limit future disease outbreaks, C-CHANGE believes environment and health policies must be discussed at the same time by federal, state and local agencies. They have a direct impact on each other. For example, investing in improved air quality has paid dividends in the United States. In 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency found that every $1 invested to reduce air pollution returns up to $30 in benefits. When fewer greenhouse gases are emitted, people are less likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. This lessens the expenditures on healthcare nationwide.