Latest news with #heatrelateddeaths
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Ethnic minorities in England at higher risk of heat-related deaths, says study
Ethnic minorities and people living in the most deprived areas of England are at increased risk of dying due to excess heat, according to research. A study, published in BMJ Public Health, is the first of its kind to assess the role of socio-environmental factors in the risk of heat-related deaths. Previous figures from the University College London (UCL) found almost 600 people were expected to die in the heatwave that took place in early June across England, with more than 10,000 people having died prematurely in summer heatwaves between 2020 and 2024. The report analysed the records of more than 430,000 patients across England who died between 2016 and 2020, and used relative effect modification, or REM, which indicates whether a risk, such as dying due to extreme heat, affects some groups more than others. If the REM is 1, it means both groups are affected the same while if higher than 1, the group being compared is more affected. The study found that black people had a REM index of 1.27, and for Asian people it was 1.1, meaning that the effect of heat on the risk of dying was 27% higher for black people compared with their white counterparts, and 10% higher for people from an Asian background. This data suggests heat has a more harmful impact on these groups, possibly due to differences in housing, access to cooling, underlying health issues or other social and economic factors that all affect health outcomes more generally. People in the two most deprived groups across England had a higher risk of a heat-related death than their counterparts from the two least deprived groups. The study did not find a significant association with the middle groups of deprivation. 'These findings provide important further evidence on the role of climate change in exacerbating existing health inequalities,' said Dr Ross Thompson, principal environmental public health scientist at theUKHSA and lead author of the study. He added: 'Despite increases in heat-related deaths in England in recent years, there are still gaps in our knowledge around the risk that extreme heat presents to each individual, which hinders targeted prevention, and so these findings enhance our understanding. 'These findings will help the healthcare sector in developing strategies to identify and subsequently prioritise patients at the highest risk during heat events, and it is vital that we work with our partners to capitalise on these insights to protect those in need as extreme heat becomes more common.'' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Figures show there were 2,985 excess heat deaths recorded in England after the heatwaves of 2022, when temperatures reached in excess of 40C. Heat deaths across England and Wales are expected to rise in the coming years, and scientists say 30,000 people a year could die from heat-related causes by the 2070s. Prof Lea Berrang Ford, the head of the UKHSA Centre for Climate and Health Security, said that it was clear that even with adaptation, heat-related deaths across the UK would increase due to climate change and an ageing population. 'Of particular importance is the distinction identified in this study between clinical vulnerability and risk,' she added. 'When identifying those most at risk, these findings highlight the need to take into account a number of contextual factors … which will have important implications for how patients are prioritised by clinicians during periods of heat in the future.'' Matthew Bazeley-Bell, the deputy chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: 'The climate crisis is a public health crisis and this alarming research underpins the need for urgent action. As well as reducing emissions, it is vital that policymakers put robust plans in place to protect communities that are disproportionately impacted by rising temperatures.'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Maryland heat deaths, illnesses already above 2024 rates
BALTIMORE — At least 13 people have died so far because of heat-related illnesses in Maryland during this year's 'heat season,' up from this time last year, according to a report sent to The Baltimore Sun from the Maryland Department of Health. In 2024, there were 27 heat-related deaths across the state, according to reports from the state Department of Health. By late July last year, 11 people had died. During Maryland's heat season, which the department defines as May through September, there have already been 1,008 EMS calls and 1,129 emergency department or urgent care visits related to heat-related illness in 2025. Despite two more months of heat season, Maryland is close to meeting last year's total number of emergency department or urgent care visits because of heat, which was 1,206 in 2024. 'Heat illness is certainly an under-recognized, under-appreciated threat, and it can have real consequences,' said David Gatz, the associate medical director of the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center. —What is heat illness? Children, seniors and people with chronic illnesses are most susceptible to heat illness, Gatz said, but anyone can be at risk if put in high-heat environments. The lowest level of heat illness is heat exhaustion, which occurs when water and salt are depleted, typically from being outside and sweating. This can make people feel that they're going to pass out, their heart is beating faster or they feel nauseous, according to Cheyenne Falat, the assistant medical director of the Adult Emergency Department at the University of Maryland Medical Center. At this stage, Falat said, getting hydrated, moving away from the heat and cooling the body can usually be enough to prevent serious illness. Moderate heat illness can include heat rash, swelling — typically in the legs — and heat cramps and brief fainting, Falat said. The most severe level of heat illness is heat stroke, which affects the neurological system. Falat said looking out for any changes like slurred speech, difficulties with fine motor skills, and being unsteady could be signs to head to see a medical professional as soon as possible. 'The earlier you can recognize it and intervene, the more you can prevent it from transitioning to that next stage,' Falat said. Recognizing when heat illness is severe enough to warrant a trip to the hospital is challenging, however, Gatz said, but the most important step is listening to your body. To prevent heat illness, Falat and Gatz recommend attempting not to over-exert, applying sunscreen, hydrating and limiting time exposed to extreme temperatures. —Heat in the workplace Heat illness and heat-related deaths in Maryland have become top-of-mind for employers because of a new law requiring workplaces with high heat indexes to educate their employees on heat illness as well as provide water and frequent breaks. The 2024 death of Baltimore City Department of Public Works trash collector Ronald Silver also ignited conversations in the region about monitoring the health of people working during high heat indexes. The Maryland Department of Labor has not received any notifications of heat-related deaths at workplaces this year, a spokesperson for the department told the Sun. Maryland Occupational Safety and Health, part of the state labor department, has received reports of heat-related concerns that are being investigated, the spokesperson said, but did not specify the number of complaints. AFSCME Maryland Council 3 — a union representing state, municipal and county employees in Maryland, of which Silver was a member — has also not heard any reports of heat-related deaths at workplaces in the state. Still, leaders do have concerns over a lack of heat safety plans from some of their employers, according to a union spokesperson. The plans are required under the heat safety standards, which became law in September 2024.
The Independent
18-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Extreme heat could lead to more than 5,000 deaths this summer, charity warns
Extreme heat could lead to more than 5,000 deaths this summer in what would be one of the deadliest heatwave years on record, a charity has warned. New analysis shows 2025 has seen more extreme temperatures and more heat health alerts than at the same time in 2022 – a year in which a high number of excess deaths from heat were recorded. The warning comes as the UK is set to enter its fourth heatwave of the season, with temperatures expected to soar to 30C in parts of the country this week, while hosepipe bans have been issued across the UK as drought hits Britain. The hot weather was a factor in more than 4,500 heat-related deaths in 2022, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics, when one heat health alert was put in place. The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency, warns of a possible rise in deaths as a result of sweltering weather, with those aged over 64 or who have health conditions most at risk. But there are already indications that 2025 could be even warmer and therefore more deadly. England had its warmest June on record this year, while the UK experienced its second warmest since 1884, according to the Met Office, with three heat health alerts issued in that month alone. According to an analysis of the forecaster's data by the Centre for Ageing Better, the average maximum daily temperature in England in June 2025 was 21.9C, compared to 20C in June 2022. The average maximum daily temperatures for May 2025 were also 1.2C higher than in May 2022. The Met Office also said there have already been 11 days in 2025 where temperatures have reached 30C or higher, which has only happened twice before, in 1976 and 2018. In 2022, this happened for only five days. The Centre for Ageing Better said this was significant because research has shown that death rates increase more rapidly as temperatures rise above 27C. The charity is now warning that this summer could see more than 5,000 deaths due to excess heat as temperatures look likely to exceed 2022. It said it is 'extremely concerned' about the heat health risk to older people and warned that the poor quality of the nation's homes is a significant factor in this heightened risk. Millie Brown, deputy director for homes at the Centre for Ageing Better, said: 'The heatwave we have just experienced is unfortunately just a taste of what could become the norm in the not-too-distant future, as the State of the UK Climate report makes clear this week. Unfortunately, this country is not built for such temperatures, and especially not our poor-quality housing stock. 'Current estimates indicate that the average number of heat-related deaths in this country could triple to 7,000 every year by the 2050s. This is an appalling scenario, and one that we should be doing all we can to avoid.' It comes as Southern Water has become the latest company to introduce a hosepipe ban in response to the driest start to the year since 1976 for England. Rainfall across England was 20 per cent lower than the average for June, with two heatwaves driving unusually high demand for water, the Environment Agency has said. Drought was declared in East and West Midlands on Tuesday, with the region joining swathes of northern England in drought status. Yorkshire Water became the first major water company to bring in a hosepipe ban, which came into effect last Friday. South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex from Friday, and Thames Water is bringing in a ban from next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
Daily Mail
10-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Heatwaves could cause 34,000 deaths per YEAR in the UK by 2070, scientists predict – 50 times higher than previously thought
The number of people dying from unbearable heat in England and Wales could increase fiftyfold because of climate change, experts have warned. Scientists analysed the impacts of 15 different scenarios over the next 50 years, combining different levels of global warming with varying levels of adaptation, an aging population and regional climatic differences. Their findings, which provide 'the most comprehensive projections' for England and Wales to date, say that in a worst-case scenario there could be 34,000 annual heat-related deaths by 2070. This is more than 50 times higher than today's baseline of 634 annual heat-related deaths, they warned. Even under the most optimistic scenario, heat-related deaths will increase up to sixfold, the study found. And they warned the findings 'paint a sobering picture of the consequences of climate change'. Lead author Dr Rebecca Cole from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: 'How we as a society adapt to our changing climate will have a tremendous effect on people's wellbeing. 'Our research shows how increases in heat-related deaths are not just a consequence of rising temperatures — they're also driven by how we build our cities, care for vulnerable populations, and address social inequality.' The record-setting hot summer of 2022, which saw temperatures break the 40°C mark for the first time in the UK, saw 2,985 excess heat deaths, the researchers said. They warned this could become the 'new normal' by 2050, as global warming triggers ever-growing temperatures. In January, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 was the warmest since records began, reaching 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels. And recent predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels for the next five years. As part of the new study, experts set the most optimistic scenario at 1.6°C warming, with high levels of adaptation to protect against the effects of a warming climate. Even under this scenario, annual heat-related deaths would rise to 3,007 per year by the 2050s, 4,004 by the 2060s and up to 4,592 in the 2070s, they said. Their worst-case scenario sets global warming at 4.3°C with minimal adaptation, which could lead to 10,317 heat-related deaths per year in the 2050s, 19,478 by the 2060s and 34,027 in the 2070s. Senior author Dr Clare Heaviside, from University College London, said: 'Our collaborative research paints a sobering picture of the consequences of climate change, under a range of potential social and economic pathways. 'Over the next 50 years, the health impacts of a warming climate are going to be significant. 'We can mitigate their severity by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and with carefully planned adaptations, but we have to start now.' Potential adaptations could include steps such as adopting passive cooling systems like cool and green roofs, better building ventilation and heat management. Active cooling systems such as air conditioning could also help, alongside shady urban forests and greater community support for vulnerable populations. The researchers also warned that over the next 50 years the population of England and Wales is expected to age significantly, with the greatest increase in population size for those aged 65 and above. Most previous research into the future impact of heat mortality didn't factor in the impact of an ageing population, leading to an underestimation of its mortality, they said. Overall, they found heat mortality rates in the South are generally projected to increase more than rates in the North. The findings were published in the journal Plos Climate. Scientists found that three-day heatwaves in southeast England are now 3°C (5.4°F) hotter due to human-caused climate change heating the planet Heatwaves are expected to become more frequent and more intense in coming decades in the UK. The UK's most recent heatwave, which saw temperatures reach 35°C, were caused by global warming, the Met Office said. 'Past studies have shown it is virtually certain that human influence has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme heat events such as this,' said Dr Amy Doherty, Met Office Climate Scientist. 'Numerous climate attribution studies have shown that human influence increased the chance that specific extreme heat events would occur, such as the summer of 2018 and July 2022. 'Our Met Office climate projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the southeast of the UK. 'Temperatures are projected to rise in all seasons, but the heat would be most intense in summer.' The warning comes as the Met Office confirmed that last month was England's hottest June on record. Average temperatures hit a balmy 16.9°C - the highest recorded since the series began in 1884. Eat spicy chilli, tikka masala, a Thai curry or soup to keep cool in the heatwave, say experts You might not think that a spicy chilli, tikka masla curry and soup would be the best things to eat to cool down during the heatwave. But it turns out that having a hot meal in the evening can actually help you stay cool by the sweat you perspire evaporating into the air and cooling the body. A chilli can also be helpful, with the capsaicin found in the food sending a signal to your brain that your body is overheated - so you will sweat more to cool down. Tucking into watermelon, turmeric and reducing the carbohydrates and protein in your diet are also good ways to beat the heat. Nutritionist Daniel O'Shaughnessy has teamed up with online delivery firm JustEat to compile a list of the best foods to eat or avoid in order to cool down. Traditionally seen as a winter dish, a bowl of soup in the evening as temperatures start to drop can actually help people stay cool, Mr O'Shaughnessy explained. He said: 'It will make you perspire more, but as the sweat evaporates, the energy is absorbed into the air, therefore cooling the body.' Mr O'Shaughnessy also believes a spicy chilli is a good choice, with the capsaicin found in the food sending a signal to your brain that your body is overheated. As a result, you will sweat more to cool down. The powerful anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric also make a tikka masala curry a good option in the heat. Curcumin, which is the active ingredient in the spice, helps promote good circulation, helping to speed up your blood flow and cool your body down. Mr O'Shaughnessy also named onions as a top pick, with the vegetable being used in Ayurvedic medicine, a traditional form of Indian medicine which is more than 3,000 years old, to treat heatstroke. Other heatwave choices recommended by the nutritionist include mint, thanks to its cooling sensation, as well as spinach, which contains the vitamins and minerals needed to help keep your blood pressure under control and keep you cool. Mr O'Shaughnessy said coconut milk, found in Thai green curry, has important nutrients to support hydration, prevent exhaustion and muscle aches in hot weather. And watermelon, which is high in water content, also contains citrulline, an amino acid which relaxes you and helps to dilate the blood vessels, meaning more blood can circulate around your body and cool you down. But there are some foods to avoid, with Mr O'Shaughnessy advising Britons to cut down on carbohydrate-rich foods, such as rice and wholegrains, and foods high in protein like chicken. He said: 'It may be harder to digest a high protein food in a heat wave. Meat is quite hard to digest and the digestion process creates heat (thermogenesis) and can make you feel hotter in yourself. 'Opting for plant-based dishes can be a good choice as less energy is needed to break vegetarian dishes down compared to meat.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Climate change pushes Arizona into ‘uncharted territory' with deadly heat
Arizona broke a number of heat related records in 2024 and Phoenix experienced 113 consecutive days of 100 degrees or hotter, the longest run ever recorded. (Getty Images) In 2024, the max temperature in Phoenix sat at or above 100 degrees for approximately 30% of the year — and that non-stop consecutive heat has environmental advocates and doctors worried about the years to come as climate change continues to make the world and Arizona hotter. Last year saw Arizona break a number of heat related records and Phoenix experienced 113 consecutive days of 100 degrees or hotter, the longest run ever recorded. The next highest run was set in 1993 and was 76 days, the third longest run is from 2023 at 66 days. In fact, a number of the most recent heat-related records all come from more recent years. The top 10 for the most consecutive days with temperatures at or above 110 includes 2020, 2021 and 2022. The record was shattered in 2023, when Phoenix experienced 31 consecutive days of 110 degrees or higher heat. This year has already had a 17-day run of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, including seven where highs were above 110. The records have also taken a grim toll. While 2024 was the hottest year on record for the state, there was a slight decline in the number of heat-related deaths from the record-breaking 2023, where 645 people lost their lives in Maricopa County due to the heat. Those 645 deaths in 2023 made up more than half of all heat-related deaths reported nationally, according to Centers for Disease Control data. Overall temperatures have been rising across the globe, contributing to what we are seeing in Arizona. The global temperature has risen by approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880, but in Phoenix you can add another 5 degrees to that number due to the urban heat island effect. The urban heat island effect is when the temperatures in an urban area increase due to the heat retained by structures and ground coverings, lack of vegetation and other impacts of urbanization. That heat island also leads to other environmental effects, such as more and more days where pollution lingers in the atmosphere. A previous analysis of data from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality showed that Phoenix in recent years has experienced more days where the level of ozone in the air exceeds health and safety standards. For example, in 2015, Phoenix experienced 33 exceedance days for the whole year. In 2022, the region experienced 53, a 60% increase. 'We are at the epicenter of this crisis in the United States and there is nothing that kills more in regards to global warming or extreme weather than heat,' Dr. Jack Tuber, a Phoenix pulmonologist and member of the Sierra Club said to the Mirror. On a hot Thursday evening when temperatures outside were a sweltering 103 degrees, local environmental advocates, students, physicians and more were gathering at South Mountain Community College to discuss the impacts of extreme weather. The event featured a large number of groups from the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter to the Union of Concerned Scientists, and even religious leaders who have opened their doors to vulnerable populations who often find themselves endangered by extreme heat. The event, dubbed the 'People's Hearing' on extreme heat, featured representatives of Democrats Sen. Mark Kelly and Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari. State Sen. Priya Sundareshan, a Tucson Democrat and former attorney who focused on climate issues, also attended. While the event focused on the stories of those impacted by climate change and extreme weather, it also had another major goal: to implore policy makers to pay attention to the climate crisis and bring into focus concerns about President Donald Trump's plans to roll back environmental protections. Trump's head of the EPA has vowed to eliminate regulations meant to curtail pollution, fire staffers that serve overburdened areas and push EPA scientists to approve new chemicals, moves that former and current employees have begun to voice their concerns over. 'I'm actually horrified at the administration's planned rollbacks,' Vernon Morris, a climate scientist and Arizona State University professor. (Morris said at the event that he was speaking on behalf of himself and not the university.) Morris voiced concerns over rollbacks to agencies like the EPA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which scientists have warned could harm weather prediction models, leading to further harms and even deaths. 'There is no precedent for what we are experiencing today,' Dr. Ryan Glaubke, a paleoclimatologist and member of the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the audience. 'We are pushing the climate into uncharted territory.' Glaubke and other scientists who spoke all agreed that climate change is real, happening and that humans are largely responsible — observations that have consensus among the scientific community. However, how to go about addressing that crisis and helping those directly impacted by it is not as easy to answer. It takes less than 30 seconds of being exposed to an object that 130 to 140 degrees to get a second- or third-degree burn, according to Dr. Clifford Sheckter, a burn surgeon at the Regional Burn Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California. Sheckter is also the Burn Prevention Committee Chair for the American Burn Association and does health policy research focusing on the prevention and health economics of burn care. When the Mirror took the temperatures of common objects in Phoenix at midday in late June, temperatures regularly were dangerous. A sidewalk registered 136 degrees, the road was a blistering 146, a bike rack was 125 degrees, a mailbox clocked in at 136 and sand in a kid's playground reached 131 degrees. Those temperatures are already causing severe burns on people, particularly among the unhoused, those with drug and alcohol addiction issues and, as Sheckter pointed out, those with neuropathy. Neuropathy is seen largely in people with diabetes and it is a condition where a person loses sensation in their hands or feet. Sheckter said they have seen patients who don't realize they've burned their feet until it is too late. The Phoenix Police Department has also come under fire for ignoring the danger of extreme heat. In June 2024, two officers held a woman down on the hot pavement leading to severe burns — and it wasn't even the first time officers had caused similar injuries. For the family members of people who work in the heat, though, the dangers are known to them and they're only getting worse. 'Try to imagine the weight of the sun on your skin for 8 to 10 hours,' Jazmin Moreno, with the non-profit environmental advocacy organization Agave Community Threads, said to the crowd when speaking about her father who has worked in construction for the past 30 years. 'This isn't just weather, it is a climate crisis on full display… Climate change is real, and denying it won't make the heat go away.' For doctors like Sheckter and local pulmonologist Tuber, though, that crisis means an increase in certain types of cases and a new need for more education. For burns, it means getting information to parents on how to make sure their kids are safe on playgrounds, and that those who have neuropathy are paying close attention. 'These are ways we've been able to save countless lives, through prevention,' Sheckter said, although he admitted that, 'at the end of the day, there is no way you can force somebody to put their shoes on when they go outside.' But for Tuber, the challenge is a bit more difficult. Vector borne illnesses — those illnesses that are transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and fleas — are seeing a rise due to climate change. The change in the earth's climate has allowed for the insects that carry these diseases to spread farther and wider than ever before, impacting new populations. Illnesses like malaria, Lyme disease and the West Nile virus have all seen their numbers increase, with climate change being cited as a major contributing factor. Add to Arizona specifically that more heat, less rain and more building also translates to an increase in coccidioidomycosis, also known as Valley Fever, and you have what Tuber calls an 'environmental disaster.' The increase in heat is also not helpful for people's lungs. 'The lungs are exposed, just like skin, to the ambient air temperatures, and if you are breathing drier, less moist air, you are going to be transpiring more humidity out from the lungs into the environment,' Tuber said, comparing it to like leaving a cut apple out. 'There is a lot of truth to the heat causing more trouble to the lung than if there was not so much heat.' This week, the state got its first monsoon storms of the season as the majority of the state is still under heat advisories and wildfires, made more aggressive by the drier conditions created by climate change, rage in the state. Arizona Mirror is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arizona Mirror maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jim Small for questions: info@
