Emerging Issues Regarding the Intersection of Climate, Toxic Substances, and Environmental Health

Abstract

Climate change caused by anthropogenic warming of the earth's atmosphere is a frightening prospect. The focus was on three broad classes of chemical toxicants of global significance: air pollutants, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including some organochlorine pesticides, and other pesticide classes. Temperature increases, in general, will increase the toxicity of contaminants and regional tropospheric ozone concentrations, but will also likely increase rates of chemical degradation. Climate and environmental change (C-E-C) are to have an impact on people's health and quality of life. The impact of C-E-C on food supply and food as a vehicle for exposure have received a lot of attention. C-E-C, on the other hand, has been superimposed on widespread malnutrition, infectious and noncommunicable diseases. We discuss why nutrition should not be confused with food and should be viewed as a biological variable that influences and is influenced by both C-E-C and current global health challenges. The relationship between C-E-C, food, nutrition, and health must be considered when developing safe and effective interventions.