A new study from the Jeffrey Center for Environmental Economics and Policy at Columbia University’s Climate School in the United States shows that high temperatures are more harmful to young people than to the elderly. The discovery contradicts beliefs that the older population would be hit hardest by extreme heat.
The search published in Science Advances last Friday (6) indicates that 75% of heat-related deaths recorded in Mexico are occurring among people under the age of 35 — and a large proportion of them are between the ages of 18 and 35. The Latin country was chosen because of its detailed collections of mortality and daily temperatures, which were used by scientists to determine excess mortality, that is, the number of deaths that are above or below the average.
From 1998 to 2019, 3,300 heat deaths were recorded in the country, with almost a third of them occurring among those aged between 18 and 35. The study also showed significant mortality for children under 5 years of age, especially babies. Contrary to this are people aged 50 to 70, who recorded the lowest volume of heat deaths.
“We project that as the climate warms, heat-related deaths will increase, and young people will suffer most,” said study lead author R. Daniel Bressler, a doctoral candidate in Columbia University’s Sustainable Development program.
Among the factors listed by researchers for the death of young people are:
- More likely to engage in outdoor work, such as farming and construction;
- Greater likelihood of working in closed factory areas without air conditioning;
- Greater chance of practicing strenuous outdoor exercises.
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This content was originally published in Extreme heat is more deadly for young people than for the elderly, reveals research on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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