The constantly rising temperatures driven by climate change are causing an increase in cases of heat-related health problems, according to a recent study based on insurance claims.
Troubling trends: “The percentage of patients who were diagnosed with heat stress, heat exhaustion or heatstroke was higher in each month in 2021 than in the corresponding month of 2016,” says an analysis published Dec. 13 by FAIR Health. In June 2021, heat exhaustion rose 52.5% compared to June 2016.
How do we know? The research was based on a review of FAIR Health’s repository of 39 billion health care claims, which the organization notes is “the nation’s largest database of privately billed health insurance claims.”
Age and gender were factors, with people over 65 and men being more prone to heat stress, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. Among the under-35 cohort, however, women were more likely to be diagnosed with heat stress.
This confirms past research: Last year, research found 58% of the 375 infectious diseases reviewed had been “aggravated by climatic hazards;” non-infectious diseases were also impacted. In addition, climate change is harming our mental health.
Biotech can help: As we’ve noted previously, biotech solutions, ranging from biofuels to better farming practices, can be a major part of addressing climate change.
More Agriculture and Environment News:
World-Grain.com: Study finds Soybean oil for biofuels has limited food price impact
“What we found, after assessing the impact of rising soybean oil demand on prices at the grocery store, was little change to the CPI. While the increased demand for biofuels pushed up retail prices for oil between 0.16% and 4.41% across different categories, retail animal product prices for dairy, beef, pork, chicken, and eggs declined between -0.01% and -0.16%.”
