Global Warming

Global warming is a recently discovered phenomenon that not many people understand. Here are some facts:

1.  Global warming is the rise in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere and its projected continuation

2. Probably cause by human activities like deforestation and burning fossil fuels, which all increase the concentration of green house gases in the atmosphere.

3. The possible effects of rise in temperature include a rise in sea level, retreat of glaciers, more extreme weather events like droughts and heat waves. (picture to the left)

Most people discount global warming by saying that while it will change the environment but will not effect them. This is completely untrue. Global warming could harm human health. One of the most obvious issues is the direct effect that a natural disaster could have on human populations. Think about the number of lives lost to hurricane Katrina. The disasters brought on by Global warming will be much worse as far as the damage goes. This could have short term and long term health concerns. Short term concerns are immediate death and loss of transportation. Long term affects could include a contaminated water supply. This could be catastrophic if it occurs on the level some scientists describe.

Natural disasters can also cause disease epidemics. Cholera, for example, comes from contaminated water. In a crisis, disease can spread much more quickly and responders have much less time to act. So global warming will not only cause short term health issues but could ultimately result in pandemics.

Mount Vesuvius

Almost everyone has heard of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that left the city of Pompeii buried for nearly  two centuries but what really happened there and why did no one seem to know what was going on?

Pompeii was once a thriving Roman city famous for it's grand villas. With a population of nearly 20,000 people, half of which were children, it is amazing to consider that no one escaped. In the past decade several discoveries have helped scientists better determine what exactly happened in Pompeii. For example, scientists used to think that the people died of suffocation from all the volcanic ash but careful studies on the bodies that were preserved by the volcanic ash helped helped them determine the actual cause of death.

When Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 no one had a clue what was going on. When the volcano started spewing many people made their way to the beach thinking the water would keep them safe.Most people carried belongings with them, waiting for the volcano to stop erupting. After several hours on the beach people felt a shock and seconds later a 900 degree fahrenheit cloud came billowing towards them, instantly causing death due to thermal shock.

So why didn't anyone know what was happening?...
Well, back in AD 79, while the Roman empire had many advances in the field of science, no one knew that seismic activity related to volcanic pressure. Today we know that the two are closely related and are therefore able to predict volcanic eruptions months in advance. Unfortunately for the citizens of Pompeii, the tremors they felt in the months before the eruption were nothing more than tremors. They also didn't know about dormant stages in volcanoes and that the longer the volcano is dormant, the larger the explosion will be. Due to their lack of understanding they stood absolutely no chance against the eruption. This is why scientists have uncovered many bodies of people bathing in their house and performing everyday activities. 

Archaeologists digging through the ash

Area of land affected by the eruption

5 year old girl with Progeria

Map of all the known cases as of 2010

Where the Progeria Research Foundation is located

As far as Global Health goes, I am extremely interested in the origins and pathways of diseases. So, of course, I am always reading about new diseases and conditions. The other day while I was surfing the internet I came across a disease called Progeria, which in greek means "prematurely old". The term is very literal and the accelerated aging occurs when a child is 18-24 months. Symptoms of Progeria include loss of body fat and hair, atherosclerosis, aged skin, and stiff joints. Most children suffering from this disease die of heart failure around 13 years old. Most doctors believe that the disease is caused by a mutation in the gene that holds cells together causing extreme instability, which leads to accelerated aging. It is an extremely rare disease affecting only 1 in 4-8 million; however, since 1999, it has been discovered in over 40 countries.