As the world warms up, extreme weather is getting more common. Dry areas are experiencing extended drought, but paradoxically, wet areas are seeing more rainfall. Unfortunately, a new study published in the BMJ has revealed that the increasing rainfall could negatively affect residents' health.
What's happening?
The study examined 645 locations across 34 countries and regions on six continents from 1980 to 2020. At each location, researchers tracked the intensity of rainfall, noting rainfall events that they would expect to see once a year, once every two years, and once every five years.
They then cross-referenced those uncommon periods of rain with the all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths within a 14-day period of the event.
Researchers found that one-year events did not seem to have an effect on mortality in the local areas. However, rainfall events expected to occur once every two years increased the number of respiratory deaths. Five-year events significantly increased all-cause, respiratory, and cardiovascular deaths, with respiratory deaths showing a bigger spike than cardiovascular deaths.
In other words, unusually severe rainfall in an area is dangerous and noticeably increases deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.
Researchers also found that areas were most affected when they usually had very steady rainfall and when there was little plant cover. They also found that areas that had moderate to heavy rainfall on average had a lower mortality rate than drier areas — but were still at great risk during extreme rainfall events.
Why is understanding the effect of heavy rainfall important?
It's easy to see the impact of drought on regions without enough water. However, the negative health effects of too much water are less obvious, and this study helped to document them.
"Climate change is intensifying the variability in precipitation and extreme rainfall events both daily and overall," said the study authors. "An awareness of the effects of these extreme events is crucial for understanding the complex health consequences of climate change."
By taking note of these effects and understanding them, we can also advocate for changes that will help reduce the number of unnecessary deaths.
What can we do about mortality from heavy rainfall?
First, the study identified factors that could reduce the impact of heavy rains. People can't control how steady the rain usually is in their area, but getting more vegetation planted is possible and is something the public can push policymakers to adopt. "Policy makers should be aware of the implications of rainfall related risks on public health," the study authors affirmed.
Second, this study shines a light on yet another negative effect of climate change, adding urgency to efforts to reduce planet-warming air pollution.
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