International Union for Circumpolar Health Ministry of Public Health and Social Development of RF Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences Medical Polar Fund “Science” The Northern Forum

Abstracts

Performance and Health in Cold Climate

Objectives: To give an overview, how climate change in High North are predicted to effect on direct thermal impacts of the climate during the next coming 20 years.

Methods: Literature overview

Results: Extreme cold and heat climates in the North can cause potentially fatal illnesses. Cold climate related excess mortality has been reported in many western countries including Finland. The similar increase in the Russian North has not recognized in the research report by Donaldson et al 2002. Extreme heat mortality has been reported in Finland and a special heat wave increase of mortality, too. The both type of heat related mortality in Finland are present in the much lower environmental temperatures than in the Middle or Southern Europe.

The symptoms of cardiovascular, respiratory and skin diseases during cold exposure have been reported to be present by 30% of the Finnish adult population. These symptoms are present in the environmental temperatures + 5--40°C

In the ACIA- report 2005 there are described climate warming during the next coming 20 years to be in the North 0-4°C in the annual average ambient temperatures. The future climate will include also increasing winds and storms as well increasing days having extreme temperatures.

The extreme climate temperatures and winds in the future are a challenge to northern population to reflect their risk to increase deaths and many symptoms causing losses of performance and needs for hospital treatment. The major risk is also in the future related on cold more than warm climate.

During the next coming two decades are predicted an increase of urbanisation on the northern populations. This is associated in Finland with the decrease of human behavioral cold adaptation. In the North the risk to die caused by climate heat has not been recognized.

Conclusions: The health research associated with extreme climate temperatures in High North is rare and not well known by health professionals serving northern people. To react correctly to the risks related with future climate change should be made more epidemiological and other health studies in the North and compare their results in the different countries. These health risks should also include in the education of health professionals.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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Last update: 06-Jul-2012 (11:52:05)