Consolidating a European Health Union is the main axis that can unleash a domino of actions that mitigate the effects of environmental pollution on respiratory health. Uniting the efforts of health professionals, European and national politicians, with the help of the pharmaceutical industry and the vision of patients, can build the necessary pillars to reduce the costs associated with pollution and environmental damage, as well as their impact on health.
Currently, the costs associated with environmental pollution in Europe represent an estimated cost of between 330 billion and 940 billion euros per year. This was indicated by Dolors Montserrat, spokesperson for the Popular Group in the European Parliament during the fifth virtual GreenTalks meeting. The conference, focused on ‘Climate change and respiratory diseases’, has been organized by Muy Interesante and Gaceta Médica, with the support of GSK and Fundamed, a space where experts from multiple fields have highlighted the importance of consolidating a European global health that conforms to a joint action framework to build a social conscience that acts out of “conviction”.
In this sense, Montserrat highlighted the value of the measures adopted by the EU, such as the consolidation of the HERA project, a new agency that aims to anticipate new health emergencies, or the consolidation of the European Green Pact, a strategy that supports transversal policies to connect the effects of biodiversity loss or pollution, among others, with health and food security.
“Human beings, animals and the environment must form a tri-dimension in the transversality of all policies,” he stressed during the meeting. Therefore, one of the fundamental tools to advance on this path is digital transformation, an instrument that will help early detection of pathologies through a common data network.
However, from a national perspective, training stands as one of the main needs to face future challenges related to respiratory health. Francisco Álvarez, pulmonologist at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital in Seville , insists on the training of professionals to contribute to the sustainability of the National Health System. In this sense, it highlights the importance of expanding knowledge in medical scenarios associated with smoking or environmental pollution, as they are “two of the most frequent causes of mortality, along with arterial hypertension.” Providing pulmonologists with tools and training courses to improve disease control, patient follow-up and the “proper treatment” of drugs is essential for Álvarez, who insists on the possibility of investing in powder inhalers dry, whose environmental effects are less than traditional metered dose inhalers (MDIs).
In this area, patients come into play, who can help healthcare professionals to understand the pathology, the uncertainties with which they live on a daily basis or the first symptoms they present. This is indicated by Boi Ruiz, director of the Institute of Patients of the International University of Catalonia (UIC) , who is committed to connecting professionals directly with the experience of patients through teaching in classrooms.
Likewise, Ruiz highlights the importance of establishing transversal policies that show the connection between the effects of climate change on patients. “Asthma is an example of how global warming influences respiratory disease”, he highlighted.
Asthma is precisely one of the challenges in relation to climate change that they must face from an industrial perspective. Guillermo de Juan, vice president and director of Institutional Relations and Communication at GSK Spain , insists on the effects of environmental pollution on society and, especially, on the lung capacity of asthmatic patients. In this context, promoting alternatives that increase the well-being of patients while consolidating environmental values of sustainability is one of GSK’s priorities.
The company has been working for years based on environmental objectives of reducing emissions, energy efficiency, environmental management or the use of sustainable materials, among others, because “companies must assume leadership in the fight against climate change, since it is also a stimulus for the sector and to promote other initiatives ”, concludes De Juan.
