Climate Change and Your Health
Climate Change and Your Health
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An original film produced by the Massachusetts Medical Society. © 2020
Our Physicians
Meet the physicians we interviewed for this video.
"In New England Exam rooms, the health impact of air pollution may show up as more cases of respiratory or cardiovascular distress."
Heather Alker, MD, MPH
Preventative Medicine
"If I have a patient with cardiovascular disease or diabetes, on my mind a lot more is the safety of their home setting in the midst of all these heat waves. "
Gaurab Basu, MD, MPH
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Internal Medicine
"Ongoing air pollution from our transportation and energy infrastructure, and its associated climate disruption, is a public health danger."
Matthew Bivens, MD
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Emergency Medicine
"Anything in the environment that can affect our health—or the health of our communities— is important for us to be knowledgeable about "
Maryanne Bombaugh, MD, MSc, MBA
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Obstetrics and Gynecology
"Studies have shown that kids actually—their lung function does not develop properly if they are exposed to high levels of ozone, high levels of other pollutants. "
Martha Duffy, MD
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Family/Preventive Medicine
"Asthma is very common. It’s one of the most common problems in pediatrics… No child ever wants to stop playing or doing things they like to do, so they only slow down once something hits them pretty hard."
Louis Fazen III, MD, MPH
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Pediatrics
"As physicians, we owe it to our patients to speak out about our concerns, advocate for policies to reduce the impacts, and prepare our communities to be 'climate-resilient.'"
Regina LaRocque, MD, MPH
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Infectious Disease
"The hotter it is, the more ozone there is, [which is] particularly a risk factor for people with underlying lung disease. "
Barry Levy, MD, MPH
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Internal Medicine
"[Ticks] are likely to be seen farther into the fall and earlier in the spring because of the warming climate. We’ve seen cases of Lyme disease, for example, in December. "
Brita Lundberg, MD
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Internal Medicine
"Climate change affects our health in so many ways, including increased pollution, extreme weather events, higher temps, and the spread of infectious disease."
Krupa Patel, MD
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Internal/Preventive Medicine
"It’s pretty clear that very hot weather is not good for most people, particularly people with serious chronic mental illnesses, but not only [them]."
James Recht, MD
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Psychiatry
"If you’re going to be outside for a prolonged period of time with heat exposure, make sure you have access to different ways to hydrate, a place to cool down."