Climate Change Is Pushing More People to Get X-rays, CT Scans [Video]

Key Takeaways

New research shows a significant bump in the need for X-rays and CT scans at hospitals on hot daysThe uptick in imaging may only get worse with climate changeAir pollution also seemed to play a role

TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2024 (HealthDay News) — There’s yet another downside to global warming: Higher health care expenditures for medical scans on hot days.

So report Canadian researchers who discovered that periods of heat and air pollution bumped up demand for X-rays and CT scans by about 5%. Over time, that could really add up, said lead researcher Dr. Kate Hanneman. She’s an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s department of medical imaging.

“While the individual daily effects we observed are modest, the cumulative increase in total imaging volumes is substantial,” Hanneman said.

Her team published its findings Nov. 19 in the journal Radiology.

As the researchers explained, the increased frequency of hotter days that’s come with …