http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/bc-mro042115.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
BioMed Central
Cigar smoking is associated with many of the same fatal conditions as cigarette smoking, according to research published in open access journal BMC Public Health. This underscores the fact that cigar smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking.
•••••
The authors also report that those who exclusively smoked cigars and had never smoked other tobacco products also had an increased risk of all-cause mortality. The risk of death from oral, esophageal and lung cancers was found to increase with inhalation of cigar smoke. Even in those who reported not inhaling cigar smoke, there was an increased risk of death caused by oral, laryngeal and esophageal cancer.
Those who smoked cigars and had previously smoked cigarettes had a much higher risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to cigar smokers who had not previously smoked cigarettes. The researchers believe this could be due in part to the inhalation patterns of these different types of cigar smokers.
•••••
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Blacks may not receive same health benefits from moderate alcohol drinking as whites
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/hsop-bmn042115.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Harvard School of Public Health
Although moderate alcohol consumption appears to lower mortality risk among whites, it may not have the same protective effect among blacks, and its potential benefits also may vary by gender, according to a nationally representative study of the U.S. population by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
•••••
Previous research has found an association between moderate drinking and lowered risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and premature mortality, but those studies were conducted among mostly white populations, and some studies have suggested that blacks may not experience similar risk reduction.
•••••
Consistent with prior literature, the results showed that 13% of white men and 24% of black men said they never drank. Among women, 23% of white women and 42% of black women reported never drinking.
When the researchers looked at the relationship between drinking alcohol and mortality, they found that it varied by both race and gender. For men, the lowest risk of mortality was among white men who consumed 1-2 drinks 3-7 days per week and among black men who didn't drink at all. For women, the lowest risk of mortality was among white women consuming 1 drink per day 3-7 days per week, and among black women who consumed 1 drink on 2 or fewer days per week.
•••••
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Harvard School of Public Health
Although moderate alcohol consumption appears to lower mortality risk among whites, it may not have the same protective effect among blacks, and its potential benefits also may vary by gender, according to a nationally representative study of the U.S. population by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
•••••
Previous research has found an association between moderate drinking and lowered risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and premature mortality, but those studies were conducted among mostly white populations, and some studies have suggested that blacks may not experience similar risk reduction.
•••••
Consistent with prior literature, the results showed that 13% of white men and 24% of black men said they never drank. Among women, 23% of white women and 42% of black women reported never drinking.
When the researchers looked at the relationship between drinking alcohol and mortality, they found that it varied by both race and gender. For men, the lowest risk of mortality was among white men who consumed 1-2 drinks 3-7 days per week and among black men who didn't drink at all. For women, the lowest risk of mortality was among white women consuming 1 drink per day 3-7 days per week, and among black women who consumed 1 drink on 2 or fewer days per week.
•••••
Long-term exposure to air pollution may pose risk to brain structure, cognitive functions
So air pollution might reduce our ability to recognize the problem, and make us more susceptible to being fooled by those who profit from it and try to derail regulations that might reduce their profits.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/bidm-let042115.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Air pollution, even at moderate levels, has long been recognized as a factor in raising the risk of stroke. A new study led by scientists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine suggests that long-term exposure can cause damage to brain structures and impair cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults.
Writing in the May 2015 issue of Stroke, researchers who studied more than 900 participants of the Framingham Heart Study found evidence of smaller brain structure and of covert brain infarcts, a type of "silent" ischemic stroke resulting from a blockage in the blood vessels supplying the brain.
The study evaluated how far participants lived from major roadways and used satellite imagery to assess prolonged exposure to ambient fine particulate matter, particles with a diameter of 2.5 millionth of a meter, referred to as PM2.5.
These particles come from a variety of sources, including power plants, factories, trucks and automobiles and the burning of wood. They can travel deeply into the lungs and have been associated in other studies with increased numbers of hospital admissions for cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes.
•••••
Thawing permafrost feeds climate change
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/fsu-tpf042315.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Florida State University
Carbon, held in frozen permafrost soils for tens of thousands of years, is being released as Arctic regions of the Earth warm and is further fueling global climate change, according to a Florida State University researcher.
Assistant Professor of Oceanography Robert Spencer writes in Geophysical Research Letters that single-cell organisms called microbes are rapidly devouring the ancient carbon being released from thawing permafrost soil and ultimately releasing it back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Increased carbon dioxide levels, of course, cause the Earth to warm and accelerate thawing.
•••••
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Florida State University
Carbon, held in frozen permafrost soils for tens of thousands of years, is being released as Arctic regions of the Earth warm and is further fueling global climate change, according to a Florida State University researcher.
Assistant Professor of Oceanography Robert Spencer writes in Geophysical Research Letters that single-cell organisms called microbes are rapidly devouring the ancient carbon being released from thawing permafrost soil and ultimately releasing it back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Increased carbon dioxide levels, of course, cause the Earth to warm and accelerate thawing.
•••••
Reducing school bus pollution improves children's health
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/uom-rsb042315.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
University of Michigan
Use of clean fuels and updated pollution control measures in the school buses 25 million children ride every day could result in 14 million fewer absences from school a year, based on a study by the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.
In research believed to be the first to measure the individual impact on children of the federal mandate to reduce diesel emissions, researchers found improved health and less absenteeism, especially among asthmatic children.
A change to ultra low sulfur diesel fuel reduced a marker for inflammation in the lungs by 16 percent over the whole group, and 20-31 percent among children with asthma, depending on the severity of their disease.
"The national switch to cleaner diesel fuel and the adoption of clean air technologies on school buses lowered concentrations of airborne particles on buses by as much as 50 percent," said Sara Adar, the study's lead author and the John Searle Assistant Professor of Public Health at the U-M School of Public Health. "Importantly, our study now shows measurable health improvements from these interventions, too.
Although the study focused only on school children, Adar said it is easy to imagine similar benefits for other groups of people such as commuters, occupational drivers and people living in communities impacted by heavy diesel traffic.
•••••
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
University of Michigan
Use of clean fuels and updated pollution control measures in the school buses 25 million children ride every day could result in 14 million fewer absences from school a year, based on a study by the University of Michigan and the University of Washington.
In research believed to be the first to measure the individual impact on children of the federal mandate to reduce diesel emissions, researchers found improved health and less absenteeism, especially among asthmatic children.
A change to ultra low sulfur diesel fuel reduced a marker for inflammation in the lungs by 16 percent over the whole group, and 20-31 percent among children with asthma, depending on the severity of their disease.
"The national switch to cleaner diesel fuel and the adoption of clean air technologies on school buses lowered concentrations of airborne particles on buses by as much as 50 percent," said Sara Adar, the study's lead author and the John Searle Assistant Professor of Public Health at the U-M School of Public Health. "Importantly, our study now shows measurable health improvements from these interventions, too.
Although the study focused only on school children, Adar said it is easy to imagine similar benefits for other groups of people such as commuters, occupational drivers and people living in communities impacted by heavy diesel traffic.
•••••
Dolphins use extra energy to communicate in noisy waters
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/nfwc-due042315.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Dolphins that raise their voices to be heard in noisy environments expend extra energy in doing so, according to new research that for the first time measures the biological costs to marine mammals of trying to communicate over the sounds of ship traffic or other sources.
While dolphins expend only slightly more energy on louder whistles or other vocalizations, the metabolic cost may add up over time when the animals must compensate for chronic background noise, according to the research by scientists at NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the University of California Santa Cruz.
"If they're repeatedly exposed to a lot of noise, the repeated effort to call louder or longer or more often -- that's where the impacts could become more significant," said Marla Holt, a research biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle and lead author of the paper published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
The impacts could be pronounced for young, growing animals or nursing females already struggling to eat enough to maintain their energy balance, the researchers concluded. Some animals also react to nearby vessels and associated noise by slapping their tails on the water or breaching - jumping clear out of the water. That could add to the extra effort required by louder calls to further drain their energy.
•••••
The report also noted that ship noise can interfere with the echolocation the whales use to locate and hunt for food. The new findings suggest that consistently noisy surroundings could take a toll on marine mammals that rely on calls for basic life functions such as communication and foraging.
"If they are going to have to compensate for long periods, day after day, then that cumulative impact could be a concern," Noren said. "How much more fish will they need to eat to compensate for that? That is a concern for these whales because we know their food sources may be limited."
•••••
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region
Dolphins that raise their voices to be heard in noisy environments expend extra energy in doing so, according to new research that for the first time measures the biological costs to marine mammals of trying to communicate over the sounds of ship traffic or other sources.
While dolphins expend only slightly more energy on louder whistles or other vocalizations, the metabolic cost may add up over time when the animals must compensate for chronic background noise, according to the research by scientists at NOAA Fisheries' Northwest Fisheries Science Center and the University of California Santa Cruz.
"If they're repeatedly exposed to a lot of noise, the repeated effort to call louder or longer or more often -- that's where the impacts could become more significant," said Marla Holt, a research biologist at the Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle and lead author of the paper published this week in the Journal of Experimental Biology.
The impacts could be pronounced for young, growing animals or nursing females already struggling to eat enough to maintain their energy balance, the researchers concluded. Some animals also react to nearby vessels and associated noise by slapping their tails on the water or breaching - jumping clear out of the water. That could add to the extra effort required by louder calls to further drain their energy.
•••••
The report also noted that ship noise can interfere with the echolocation the whales use to locate and hunt for food. The new findings suggest that consistently noisy surroundings could take a toll on marine mammals that rely on calls for basic life functions such as communication and foraging.
"If they are going to have to compensate for long periods, day after day, then that cumulative impact could be a concern," Noren said. "How much more fish will they need to eat to compensate for that? That is a concern for these whales because we know their food sources may be limited."
•••••
Significant increase in major depression reported during recent recession
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/luhs-sii042315.php
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Loyola University Health System
The recent Great Recession was accompanied by a significant and sustained increase in major depression in U.S. adults, according to a Loyola study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Prevalence of major depression increased from 2.33 percent during the years 2005-2006 to 3.49 percent in 2009-2010 to 3.79 percent in 2011-2012, according to the study by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers.
Prevalence of less-severe depression increased from 4.1 percent in 2005-2006 to 4.79 percent in 2009-2010, but then declined to 3.68 percent in 2011-2012.
•••••
Prevalence of both major and less severe depression was highest among adults who were living in poverty or had less than a high school education.
•••••
The Great Recession officially began in December, 2007, and lasted for 18 months. But the effects of the recession, including high unemployment and home foreclosures and reduced consumer confidence, remained high even after the recession officially ended in June, 2009. During the past decade, more than 8 million jobs were lost and about 3 million homes were foreclosed.
•••••
Public Release: 23-Apr-2015
Loyola University Health System
The recent Great Recession was accompanied by a significant and sustained increase in major depression in U.S. adults, according to a Loyola study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Prevalence of major depression increased from 2.33 percent during the years 2005-2006 to 3.49 percent in 2009-2010 to 3.79 percent in 2011-2012, according to the study by Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers.
Prevalence of less-severe depression increased from 4.1 percent in 2005-2006 to 4.79 percent in 2009-2010, but then declined to 3.68 percent in 2011-2012.
•••••
Prevalence of both major and less severe depression was highest among adults who were living in poverty or had less than a high school education.
•••••
The Great Recession officially began in December, 2007, and lasted for 18 months. But the effects of the recession, including high unemployment and home foreclosures and reduced consumer confidence, remained high even after the recession officially ended in June, 2009. During the past decade, more than 8 million jobs were lost and about 3 million homes were foreclosed.
•••••
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Study links adverse childhood experiences to pediatric asthma
Surely physical, emotional, or sexual abuse are adverse childhood experiences.http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/l-hch042215.php
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
Lifespan
Hasbro Children's Hospital study finds link between adverse childhood experiences and pediatric asthma Children who experience violence, substance abuse at home report significantly higher rates of asthma
Robyn Wing, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Hasbro Children's Hospital, recently led a study that found children who were exposed to an adverse childhood experience (ACE) were 28 percent more likely to develop asthma. The rate of asthma occurrence further increased in children with each additional ACE exposure. The study, recently published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, suggests that psychosocial factors may contribute to pediatric asthma.
"Asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood conditions, currently affecting 7 million, or 9.5 percent, of children in the U.S.," said Wing. "The biological risk factors for asthma onset and severity, such as genetics, allergens, tobacco smoke, air pollution and respiratory infections, have been well established by previous studies. But, psychosocial factors, such as stress, which we know can be physically harmful, are now being examined as a risk factor for asthma in children."
Wing's team analyzed data from nearly 100,000 children and teens in the 2011-2012 National Survey of Children's Health and compared parent or guardian reports of a child having asthma to whether a child had experienced an ACE at home. An ACE is classified as whether a child has ever:
Lived with a parent or guardian who got divorced or separated while child was present.
Lived with a parent or guardian who died.
Lived with a parent or guardian who served time in jail or prison while child was present.
Lived with anyone who was mentally ill or suicidal, or severely depressed for more than a couple of weeks.
Lived with anyone who had a problem with alcohol or drugs.
Saw or heard parents, guardians or any other adults in the home slap, hit, kick, punch or beat each other up.
Children exposed to one ACE had a 28 percent increase in reported asthma compared to those with no ACEs. These rates increase with each additional ACE, with children exposed to four ACEs having a 73 percent increase in reported asthma.
•••••
Quit smoking at age 60: Lower risk for heart attack and stroke within the first five years
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/gcrc-qsa042215.php
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
In the most comprehensive study ever on the impact of smoking on cardiovascular disease in older people, epidemiologist Dr. Ute Mons from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) analyzed 25 individual studies, compiling data from over half a million individuals age 60 and older.
Twice as many smokers die from cardiovascular disease than life-long non-smokers do. The increase in risk depends on the number of cigarettes that a person has smoked in his or her lifetime. After one quits smoking, this risk continues to decrease. On average, the risk for former smokers is only 1.3 times that of people who have never smoked in their lives.
Within the first five years after smoking one's last cigarette, the risk already decreases measurably. Even those who quit smoking past age 60 still benefit from the decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the more time that has passed since one has quit, the more considerable the decrease in a former smoker's risk of dying from heart attack or stroke.
Since people often find it difficult to determine the relevance of relative risks, Mons and her colleagues also used an alternative method to assess the results of their meta-analysis: They calculated the number of years by which smoking accelerates death from heart disease. They found that the age of smokers who die from cardiovascular disease is, on average, five and a half years younger than people who have never smoked in their lives. By contrast, the age for former smokers drops to just over two years younger than life-long non-smokers.
•••••
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ)
In the most comprehensive study ever on the impact of smoking on cardiovascular disease in older people, epidemiologist Dr. Ute Mons from the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) analyzed 25 individual studies, compiling data from over half a million individuals age 60 and older.
Twice as many smokers die from cardiovascular disease than life-long non-smokers do. The increase in risk depends on the number of cigarettes that a person has smoked in his or her lifetime. After one quits smoking, this risk continues to decrease. On average, the risk for former smokers is only 1.3 times that of people who have never smoked in their lives.
Within the first five years after smoking one's last cigarette, the risk already decreases measurably. Even those who quit smoking past age 60 still benefit from the decreased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. However, the more time that has passed since one has quit, the more considerable the decrease in a former smoker's risk of dying from heart attack or stroke.
Since people often find it difficult to determine the relevance of relative risks, Mons and her colleagues also used an alternative method to assess the results of their meta-analysis: They calculated the number of years by which smoking accelerates death from heart disease. They found that the age of smokers who die from cardiovascular disease is, on average, five and a half years younger than people who have never smoked in their lives. By contrast, the age for former smokers drops to just over two years younger than life-long non-smokers.
•••••
Humans' Use Of Pain-Relief Creams Proves Fatal To Felines
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/04/20/400994162/humans-use-of-pain-relief-creams-proves-fatal-to-felines?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=morningedition&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20150421
Veterinarians have long warned that pain medications like ibuprofen are toxic to pets. And it now looks like merely using a pain relief cream can put cats at risk.
That's what happened in two households, according to a report issued Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. Two cats in one household developed kidney failure and recovered with attention from a veterinarian. But in a second household, three cats died.
When the veterinarians performed necropsies on the three dead cats, they found physical damage in the cats' intestines and kidneys, evidence of the toxic effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, like Advil and Motrin, and naproxen, which is in Aleve.
•••••
these cats died by flurbiprofen, another NSAID. In the case of its most recent victims, the cat owner applied a lotion or cream containing flurbiprofen to treat muscle or arthritis pain. And it's highly unusual for a cat to show up at the vet's office; usually it's the dogs that get into trouble from exposure to NSAIDs.
"I can't even remember the last cat I've seen that got into ibuprofen or an NSAID," Erica Reineke, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, tells Shots. "We've seen more cats that get into antidepressants."
Reineke says that she probably treats a pet for some sort of ingestion problem every day, but usually it's chocolate or chewing gum, or the owner's medication. As little as 50 milligrams of ibuprofen for every kilogram a cat weighs can cause problems; for dogs, it's 100 milligrams for every kilogram.
•••••
And keep an eye on those pets – if they show signs of lethargy, vomiting or lack of appetite, go see a vet immediately.
Veterinarians have long warned that pain medications like ibuprofen are toxic to pets. And it now looks like merely using a pain relief cream can put cats at risk.
That's what happened in two households, according to a report issued Friday by the Food and Drug Administration. Two cats in one household developed kidney failure and recovered with attention from a veterinarian. But in a second household, three cats died.
When the veterinarians performed necropsies on the three dead cats, they found physical damage in the cats' intestines and kidneys, evidence of the toxic effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. NSAIDs include ibuprofen, like Advil and Motrin, and naproxen, which is in Aleve.
•••••
these cats died by flurbiprofen, another NSAID. In the case of its most recent victims, the cat owner applied a lotion or cream containing flurbiprofen to treat muscle or arthritis pain. And it's highly unusual for a cat to show up at the vet's office; usually it's the dogs that get into trouble from exposure to NSAIDs.
"I can't even remember the last cat I've seen that got into ibuprofen or an NSAID," Erica Reineke, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, tells Shots. "We've seen more cats that get into antidepressants."
Reineke says that she probably treats a pet for some sort of ingestion problem every day, but usually it's chocolate or chewing gum, or the owner's medication. As little as 50 milligrams of ibuprofen for every kilogram a cat weighs can cause problems; for dogs, it's 100 milligrams for every kilogram.
•••••
And keep an eye on those pets – if they show signs of lethargy, vomiting or lack of appetite, go see a vet immediately.
Mindfulness-based therapy rather than antidepressants to prevent depression relapse?
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/uop-mtr042215.php
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
University of Plymouth
Researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry are part of a team led by the University of Oxford, who have carried out new research that suggests mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could provide an alternative non-drug treatment for people who do not wish to continue long-term antidepressant treatment.
•••••
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
University of Plymouth
Researchers from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry are part of a team led by the University of Oxford, who have carried out new research that suggests mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) could provide an alternative non-drug treatment for people who do not wish to continue long-term antidepressant treatment.
•••••
Flame retardants could contribute to hyperthyroidism in older cats
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/acs-frc042215.php
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
American Chemical Society
For years, health advocates have been pushing to ban some flame retardants for their potentially harmful effects, especially on young children and infants. Now scientists report these compounds could play a role in a common health problem for one of our most beloved pets: cats. In the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, a new study found that cats with hyperthyroidism had high levels of certain flame retardants, hinting at a possible link.
Jessica Norrgran and colleagues explain that more than 10 percent of older cats develop hyperthyroidism, a hormonal disorder that can cause weight loss, hyperactivity, aggression, vomiting and other symptoms. In humans, the condition has been linked to Graves' disease and iodine deficiency. No one knows for sure what causes hyperthyroidism in cats. Some studies have suggested a connection between the feline condition and flame retardants. These substances leach from plastics and furniture, and accumulate in dust that can end up on cats' fur. The animals' meticulous grooming methods make them particularly susceptible to exposure to these compounds. Norrgran's team wanted to investigate this potential link further.
The researchers tested blood samples from pet felines in Sweden -- 37 hyperthyroid cats and 23 cats with normal thyroid function. They found that those with hyperthyroidism had elevated levels of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Although the results don't prove that the compounds cause the disorder, the study suggests they could be linked.
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
American Chemical Society
For years, health advocates have been pushing to ban some flame retardants for their potentially harmful effects, especially on young children and infants. Now scientists report these compounds could play a role in a common health problem for one of our most beloved pets: cats. In the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, a new study found that cats with hyperthyroidism had high levels of certain flame retardants, hinting at a possible link.
Jessica Norrgran and colleagues explain that more than 10 percent of older cats develop hyperthyroidism, a hormonal disorder that can cause weight loss, hyperactivity, aggression, vomiting and other symptoms. In humans, the condition has been linked to Graves' disease and iodine deficiency. No one knows for sure what causes hyperthyroidism in cats. Some studies have suggested a connection between the feline condition and flame retardants. These substances leach from plastics and furniture, and accumulate in dust that can end up on cats' fur. The animals' meticulous grooming methods make them particularly susceptible to exposure to these compounds. Norrgran's team wanted to investigate this potential link further.
The researchers tested blood samples from pet felines in Sweden -- 37 hyperthyroid cats and 23 cats with normal thyroid function. They found that those with hyperthyroidism had elevated levels of flame retardants known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Although the results don't prove that the compounds cause the disorder, the study suggests they could be linked.
High mountains warming faster than expected
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/uoma-hmw042215.php
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
High elevation environments around the world may be warming much faster than previously thought, according to members of an international research team including Raymond Bradley, director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They call for more aggressive monitoring of temperature changes in mountain regions and more attention to the potential consequences of warming.
•••••
High mountains are the major water source for large numbers of people living at lower elevations, so the social and economic consequences of enhanced warming in mountain regions could be large, the researchers add. "This alone requires that close attention be paid to the issue. In addition, mountains provide habitat for many of the world's rare and endangered species, and the presence of many different ecosystems in close proximity enhances the ecological sensitivity of mountains to environmental change."
Lead author Nick Pepin of the University of Portsmouth, U.K., says, "There is growing evidence that high mountain regions are warming faster than lower elevations and such warming can accelerate many other environmental changes such as glacial melt and vegetation change, but scientists urgently need more and better data to confirm this. If we are right and mountains are warming more rapidly than other environments, the social and economic consequences could be serious, and we could see more dramatic changes much sooner than previously thought."
•••••
Public Release: 22-Apr-2015
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
High elevation environments around the world may be warming much faster than previously thought, according to members of an international research team including Raymond Bradley, director of the Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They call for more aggressive monitoring of temperature changes in mountain regions and more attention to the potential consequences of warming.
•••••
High mountains are the major water source for large numbers of people living at lower elevations, so the social and economic consequences of enhanced warming in mountain regions could be large, the researchers add. "This alone requires that close attention be paid to the issue. In addition, mountains provide habitat for many of the world's rare and endangered species, and the presence of many different ecosystems in close proximity enhances the ecological sensitivity of mountains to environmental change."
Lead author Nick Pepin of the University of Portsmouth, U.K., says, "There is growing evidence that high mountain regions are warming faster than lower elevations and such warming can accelerate many other environmental changes such as glacial melt and vegetation change, but scientists urgently need more and better data to confirm this. If we are right and mountains are warming more rapidly than other environments, the social and economic consequences could be serious, and we could see more dramatic changes much sooner than previously thought."
•••••
Big Insurance Companies Are Warning The U.S. To Prepare For Climate Change
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/21/3649244/insurance-climate-change-disaster-relief/
by Emily Atkin Posted on April 21, 2015
A coalition of big insurance companies, consumer groups, and environmental advocates are urging the United States to overhaul its disaster policies in the face of increasingly extreme weather due to human-caused climate change.
According to a report released Tuesday by the SmarterSafer coalition, the U.S. needs to increase how much it spends on pre-disaster mitigation efforts and infrastructure protection. That way, it asserts, the U.S. can stop wasting so much money on cleaning up after a disaster happens.
“Our current natural disaster policy framework focuses heavily on responding to disasters, rather than putting protective measures in place to reduce our vulnerability and limit a disaster’s impact,” the report reads. “This needlessly exposes Americans to greater risks to life and property and results in much higher costs to the federal government.”
The SmarterSafer coalition is made up of more than 30 different groups, including some of the biggest insurance companies in the world: Allianz, Liberty Mutual, SwissRe, and USAA, to name a few. Adequately dealing with the risks of climate change is inherently important to the insurance industry, as failure to prepare can lead to increased costs for insurance companies when storms wipe out basements and take out walls.
Making sure the government is prepared is important for private insurers too. Because if governments don’t fortify their infrastructure, the damage can fall onto the companies. A good example is Farmers Insurance Co., which sued local governments in the Chicago area last year for failing to prepare for climate change (the lawsuits have since been dropped). That lack of preparedness, the lawsuits said, caused sewers to burst into people’s homes and property values to decline — damage that Farmers had to pay for.
•••••
There’s little question that disaster costs have increased in the last several decades. Since the Stafford Act was passed in 1988, the report notes that disaster declaration have steadily escalated — from 16 declarations in 1988 to 242 declarations in 2011.
The reasons for those increased disaster costs are two-fold, the report says. For one, the economy has grown since 1980, and there’s been more development — meaning there are bigger and more expensive structures to be damaged when extreme events hit. The other reason, it asserts, is climate change, which is increasing the risks that bad storms will occur across the country.
One of the biggest climate risks is sea level rise, which has increased both the frequency and length of minor coastal flooding — also called “nuisance flooding.” Whereas nuisance flooding along the Atlantic, Gulf, and West Coasts only occurred less than once per year at any given location in the 1950s, it now occurs on average about once every three months, the report says.
In addition, periods of very heavy precipitation have increased in every region of the country except Hawaii since 1958, according to the National Climate Assessment. That’s been particularly bad in the Northeast and Midwest, which have seen 71 percent and 37 percent increases in very heavy precipitation, respectively.
While those projections may not be alarming to some, they are certainly red flags for the insurance industry — a business which is based almost solely on credible estimation of risk. And the risks are growing, the report notes — if global action on climate change is not taken, sea level rise is projected to increase anywhere from 8.4 inches to 6.6 feet above 1992 levels, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Risks of heavy precipitation, wildfires, and heat waves are also projected to increase.
•••••
by Emily Atkin Posted on April 21, 2015
A coalition of big insurance companies, consumer groups, and environmental advocates are urging the United States to overhaul its disaster policies in the face of increasingly extreme weather due to human-caused climate change.
According to a report released Tuesday by the SmarterSafer coalition, the U.S. needs to increase how much it spends on pre-disaster mitigation efforts and infrastructure protection. That way, it asserts, the U.S. can stop wasting so much money on cleaning up after a disaster happens.
“Our current natural disaster policy framework focuses heavily on responding to disasters, rather than putting protective measures in place to reduce our vulnerability and limit a disaster’s impact,” the report reads. “This needlessly exposes Americans to greater risks to life and property and results in much higher costs to the federal government.”
The SmarterSafer coalition is made up of more than 30 different groups, including some of the biggest insurance companies in the world: Allianz, Liberty Mutual, SwissRe, and USAA, to name a few. Adequately dealing with the risks of climate change is inherently important to the insurance industry, as failure to prepare can lead to increased costs for insurance companies when storms wipe out basements and take out walls.
Making sure the government is prepared is important for private insurers too. Because if governments don’t fortify their infrastructure, the damage can fall onto the companies. A good example is Farmers Insurance Co., which sued local governments in the Chicago area last year for failing to prepare for climate change (the lawsuits have since been dropped). That lack of preparedness, the lawsuits said, caused sewers to burst into people’s homes and property values to decline — damage that Farmers had to pay for.
•••••
There’s little question that disaster costs have increased in the last several decades. Since the Stafford Act was passed in 1988, the report notes that disaster declaration have steadily escalated — from 16 declarations in 1988 to 242 declarations in 2011.
The reasons for those increased disaster costs are two-fold, the report says. For one, the economy has grown since 1980, and there’s been more development — meaning there are bigger and more expensive structures to be damaged when extreme events hit. The other reason, it asserts, is climate change, which is increasing the risks that bad storms will occur across the country.
One of the biggest climate risks is sea level rise, which has increased both the frequency and length of minor coastal flooding — also called “nuisance flooding.” Whereas nuisance flooding along the Atlantic, Gulf, and West Coasts only occurred less than once per year at any given location in the 1950s, it now occurs on average about once every three months, the report says.
In addition, periods of very heavy precipitation have increased in every region of the country except Hawaii since 1958, according to the National Climate Assessment. That’s been particularly bad in the Northeast and Midwest, which have seen 71 percent and 37 percent increases in very heavy precipitation, respectively.
While those projections may not be alarming to some, they are certainly red flags for the insurance industry — a business which is based almost solely on credible estimation of risk. And the risks are growing, the report notes — if global action on climate change is not taken, sea level rise is projected to increase anywhere from 8.4 inches to 6.6 feet above 1992 levels, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Risks of heavy precipitation, wildfires, and heat waves are also projected to increase.
•••••
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Impoverished Indian farmer hangs self at protest
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/india-farmer-gajendra-singh-hangs-himself-protest/
April 22, 2015
NEW DELHI -- An impoverished Indian farmer died Wednesday after hanging himself in front of hundreds of other farmers who had gathered for a protest in the capital.
It was the latest in a wave of suicides that has left at least 40 farmers dead in recent weeks - and some 300,000 dead since 1995.
•••••
According to a note he left behind and which police recovered, Gajendra Singh said he killed himself after his father, left with nothing after rainstorms destroyed their crops, forced him from the family home.
"I have three children. I don't have the money to feed my children. Hence, I want to commit suicide," said the handwritten note.
Police said the dead man was from outside the town of Dausa in western Rajasthan state. Rajasthan officials say heavy rains there have destroyed 30 percent of crops, though farmers say the amount is much higher.
The man's uncle, Gopal Singh, said the family owned 9 acres of land where they grew wheat, but that the rains had almost completely destroyed the crops.
"No one in the village has received any compensation from the government," said Singh, who was driving into New Delhi to retrieve his nephew's body.
State officials across north India have promised financial help to farmers who lost their crops - and who are often indebted to local loan sharks who advanced them money for seeds and fertilizers - but those payments have been slowed by bureaucracy and corruption, activists say.
•••••
April 22, 2015
NEW DELHI -- An impoverished Indian farmer died Wednesday after hanging himself in front of hundreds of other farmers who had gathered for a protest in the capital.
It was the latest in a wave of suicides that has left at least 40 farmers dead in recent weeks - and some 300,000 dead since 1995.
•••••
According to a note he left behind and which police recovered, Gajendra Singh said he killed himself after his father, left with nothing after rainstorms destroyed their crops, forced him from the family home.
"I have three children. I don't have the money to feed my children. Hence, I want to commit suicide," said the handwritten note.
Police said the dead man was from outside the town of Dausa in western Rajasthan state. Rajasthan officials say heavy rains there have destroyed 30 percent of crops, though farmers say the amount is much higher.
The man's uncle, Gopal Singh, said the family owned 9 acres of land where they grew wheat, but that the rains had almost completely destroyed the crops.
"No one in the village has received any compensation from the government," said Singh, who was driving into New Delhi to retrieve his nephew's body.
State officials across north India have promised financial help to farmers who lost their crops - and who are often indebted to local loan sharks who advanced them money for seeds and fertilizers - but those payments have been slowed by bureaucracy and corruption, activists say.
•••••
March 2015 Easily Set The Record For Hottest March Ever Recorded
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/04/20/3648716/march-2015-hottest-record-noaa/
by Joe Romm Posted on April 20, 2015
This was easily the hottest March — and hottest January-to-March — on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA’s latest monthly report makes clear Mother Nature is just getting warmed up:
March 2015 was not only the hottest March in their 135-year of keeping records, it beat “the previous record of 2010 by 0.09°F (0.05°C).”
January-to-March was not only the hottest start to any year on record, it also beat “the previous record of 2002 by 0.09°F.”
March was so warm that only two other months ever had a higher “departure from average” (i.e. temperature above the norm), February 1998 and January 2007, and they only beat March by “just 0.01°C (0.02°F).”
Arctic sea ice hit its smallest March extent since records began in 1979.
•••••
by Joe Romm Posted on April 20, 2015
This was easily the hottest March — and hottest January-to-March — on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA’s latest monthly report makes clear Mother Nature is just getting warmed up:
March 2015 was not only the hottest March in their 135-year of keeping records, it beat “the previous record of 2010 by 0.09°F (0.05°C).”
January-to-March was not only the hottest start to any year on record, it also beat “the previous record of 2002 by 0.09°F.”
March was so warm that only two other months ever had a higher “departure from average” (i.e. temperature above the norm), February 1998 and January 2007, and they only beat March by “just 0.01°C (0.02°F).”
Arctic sea ice hit its smallest March extent since records began in 1979.
•••••
U.S. Warming Fast Since 1st Earth Day
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/u.s.-warming-fast-since-first-earth-day-18908
April 22, 2015
[See the link above for the map.]
It’s been 45 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, and since that time, average temperatures have been rising across the U.S. This Climate Central interactive graphic shows a state-by-state analysis of those temperature trends.
Average temperatures across most of the continental U.S. have been rising gradually for more than a century, at a rate of about 0.13°F per decade between 1910-2014. That trend parallels an overall increase in average global temperatures, which is largely the result of human greenhouse gas emissions. While global warming isn’t uniform, and some regions are warming faster than others, since the 1970s, warming across the U.S. has accelerated, previously shown in our report The Heat is On. Since then, every state’s annual average temperature has risen accordingly. On average, temperatures in the contiguous 48 states have been warming at a rate of 0.45°F per decade since 1970.
New Mexico is the fastest-warming state since 1970, warming at a rate of 0.63°F per decade. Vermont, Arizona, Delaware, and New Jersey are warming nearly as fast, and all are warming about twice as fast as the global average. The slowest-warming states, Iowa, Alabama, Missouri, and Georgia – warming just under 0.3°F per decade since 1970 — are on pace with average global temperatures.
•••••
April 22, 2015
[See the link above for the map.]
It’s been 45 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, and since that time, average temperatures have been rising across the U.S. This Climate Central interactive graphic shows a state-by-state analysis of those temperature trends.
Average temperatures across most of the continental U.S. have been rising gradually for more than a century, at a rate of about 0.13°F per decade between 1910-2014. That trend parallels an overall increase in average global temperatures, which is largely the result of human greenhouse gas emissions. While global warming isn’t uniform, and some regions are warming faster than others, since the 1970s, warming across the U.S. has accelerated, previously shown in our report The Heat is On. Since then, every state’s annual average temperature has risen accordingly. On average, temperatures in the contiguous 48 states have been warming at a rate of 0.45°F per decade since 1970.
New Mexico is the fastest-warming state since 1970, warming at a rate of 0.63°F per decade. Vermont, Arizona, Delaware, and New Jersey are warming nearly as fast, and all are warming about twice as fast as the global average. The slowest-warming states, Iowa, Alabama, Missouri, and Georgia – warming just under 0.3°F per decade since 1970 — are on pace with average global temperatures.
•••••
Babies feel pain 'like adults'
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/uoo-bfp041615.php
Public Release: 21-Apr-2015
University of Oxford
The brains of babies 'light up' in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering Oxford University brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults.
•••••
The researchers found that 18 of the 20 brain regions active in adults experiencing pain were active in babies. Scans also showed that babies' brains had the same response to a weak 'poke' (of force 128mN) as adults did to a stimulus four times as strong (512mN). The findings suggest that not only do babies experience pain much like adults but that they also have a much lower pain threshold.
•••••
Public Release: 21-Apr-2015
University of Oxford
The brains of babies 'light up' in a very similar way to adults when exposed to the same painful stimulus, a pioneering Oxford University brain scanning study has discovered. It suggests that babies experience pain much like adults.
•••••
The researchers found that 18 of the 20 brain regions active in adults experiencing pain were active in babies. Scans also showed that babies' brains had the same response to a weak 'poke' (of force 128mN) as adults did to a stimulus four times as strong (512mN). The findings suggest that not only do babies experience pain much like adults but that they also have a much lower pain threshold.
•••••
No association found between MMR vaccine and autism, even among children at higher risk
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-04/tjnj-naf041615.php
Public Release: 21-Apr-2015
The JAMA Network Journals
In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
•••••
Public Release: 21-Apr-2015
The JAMA Network Journals
In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
•••••
Protest by low-paid workers for Senate
http://reverbpress.com/news/cook-u-s-senate-live-poverty/
Deborah Montesano
April 22, 2015
An eloquent plea went out from a cook for the U.S. Senate as he prepared to participate in a strike on Wednesday. The day-long walkout by low-wage workers in Washington’s federal buildings was organized by Good Jobs Nation. It includes janitors and food handlers.
Bertrand Olotara, the cook in question, wrote a powerful editorial for The Guardian, illustrating why the walkout is necessary. He wrote:
He’s a single father who makes $12 an hour. Even though he has a second job and works 70 hours a week, he struggles to make ends meet. Paying the rent, buying school supplies, feeding his children — all are difficult in spite of working many times more hours than the senators he serves. Even clocking in for 70 hours, he has to rely on assistance to feed his children.
Olotara laments that senators neither notice nor seem to care about the poverty of the workers that surround them. Actually, the situation is even worse than a case of apathy. The GOP is actively hostile toward these workers.
•••••
Good Jobs Nation isn’t bothering to address the hopeless, GOP-dominated Congress. Their rally on the front lawn of the U.S. Capitol has a very specific goal. They want to convince President Obama and the array of presidential hopefuls that the executive branch must intervene to stop federal contractors from exploiting workers with low wages and the absence of benefits.
The demands of the protestors are straightforward. They want two executive orders. One would award contracts to employers who paid at least $15 an hour, with benefits. The other would support workers’ collective bargaining rights.
•••••
It is even more telling that it’s the foreign press that is reporting the story. Anyone checking the links in what I’ve written here will see that they come from The Guardian in the UK and Al Jazeera America. Good luck finding it in the mainstream press. I know because I tried. American media may come late to the story, after the rally is long gone, but they fail at providing these low-wage workers with visibility.
[Same thing happened with Occupy Wall Street.]
•••••
Deborah Montesano
April 22, 2015
An eloquent plea went out from a cook for the U.S. Senate as he prepared to participate in a strike on Wednesday. The day-long walkout by low-wage workers in Washington’s federal buildings was organized by Good Jobs Nation. It includes janitors and food handlers.
Bertrand Olotara, the cook in question, wrote a powerful editorial for The Guardian, illustrating why the walkout is necessary. He wrote:
“I am walking off my job because I want the presidential hopefuls to know that I live in poverty.”
He’s a single father who makes $12 an hour. Even though he has a second job and works 70 hours a week, he struggles to make ends meet. Paying the rent, buying school supplies, feeding his children — all are difficult in spite of working many times more hours than the senators he serves. Even clocking in for 70 hours, he has to rely on assistance to feed his children.
“I hate to admit it, but I have to use food stamps so that my kids don’t go to bed hungry.
“I’ve done everything that politicians say you need to do to get ahead and stay ahead: I work hard and play by the rules; I even graduated from college and worked as a substitute teacher for five years. But I got laid-off and now I’m stuck trying to make ends meet with dead-end service jobs.”
Olotara laments that senators neither notice nor seem to care about the poverty of the workers that surround them. Actually, the situation is even worse than a case of apathy. The GOP is actively hostile toward these workers.
•••••
Good Jobs Nation isn’t bothering to address the hopeless, GOP-dominated Congress. Their rally on the front lawn of the U.S. Capitol has a very specific goal. They want to convince President Obama and the array of presidential hopefuls that the executive branch must intervene to stop federal contractors from exploiting workers with low wages and the absence of benefits.
The demands of the protestors are straightforward. They want two executive orders. One would award contracts to employers who paid at least $15 an hour, with benefits. The other would support workers’ collective bargaining rights.
•••••
It is even more telling that it’s the foreign press that is reporting the story. Anyone checking the links in what I’ve written here will see that they come from The Guardian in the UK and Al Jazeera America. Good luck finding it in the mainstream press. I know because I tried. American media may come late to the story, after the rally is long gone, but they fail at providing these low-wage workers with visibility.
[Same thing happened with Occupy Wall Street.]
•••••
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
