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Human Illnesses Hurt the Environment, Suggests Study

A toxic environment, especially one where the air and water is polluted, can create health problems for people. Now, new research suggests sick people can create health problems for the environment too. Around Kenya's Lake Victoria, a fishing community where locals battle high rates of disease and a depleted fish stock, scientists found that human illness exacerbates unsustainable fishing practices. The study questions long-held assumptions in environmental research that human disease provides a natural check to environmental exploitation. The logic is that when humans are ill, they are less likely to harm the environment. This study sheds light on an...