{"id":346683,"date":"2024-10-14T08:41:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-14T06:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=346683"},"modified":"2024-10-14T08:41:39","modified_gmt":"2024-10-14T06:41:39","slug":"breaking-news-sunburn-and-asphalt-dont-mix-another-study-states-the-obvious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=346683","title":{"rendered":"Breaking News: Sunburn and Asphalt Don\u2019t Mix \u2013 Another Study States the Obvious"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Charles Rotter<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n

Abstract<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High and low daily ambient temperatures are associated with higher mortality in the general population. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are thought to be particularly vulnerable, but there is almost no direct evidence available. We examined the temperature-mortality association among PEH in 2 populous, urban counties in hot-climate regions of the United States, focusing on heat effects. Study setting was Los Angeles County, CA, and Clark County, NV, which encompass the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, respectively. Outcomes were 2015-2022 deaths among decedents categorized as homeless in county administrative records. We used quasi-Poisson distributed lag nonlinear models to estimate the association of mortality with daily temperatures and with 7-day lagged temperatures, adjusting for day of week, seasonality, and long-term trends. We estimated the minimum mortality temperature and fraction of mortality attributable to temperatures above and below minimum mortality temperature. The association between daily temperature and PEH mortality was skewed towards greater risk at higher temperatures, especially in Clark County. Temperature-attributable mortality equaled 50.1% of deaths in Clark County (95% CI, 29.0-62.8) and 7.0% in Los Angeles County (95% CI, 1.4-12.1). In both counties, most temperature-attributable deaths were attributable to heat rather than cold. In these hot-climate urban counties, our estimates of heat-attributable mortality among PEH were orders of magnitude greater than those reported in prior research on the general population. These results indicate that temperature vulnerability, particularly heat vulnerability, requires stronger public health and policy responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/aje\/advance-article-abstract\/doi\/10.1093\/aje\/kwae084\/7689061?redirectedFrom=fulltext<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Alright, let\u2019s break this down: a study concludes that people lying out in the street\u2014most of whom are drug addicts\u2014are more likely to die on a hot day than those who are inside with air conditioning. Well, stop the presses! Who could have guessed that baking on asphalt like an egg on a skillet might not be conducive to longevity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This kind of study is a prime example of the mind-bending banality that passes for scientific insight these days. Our elite academic institutions, seemingly incapable of grappling with real problems, give us these groundbreaking revelations. Next up, perhaps they\u2019ll inform us that people are more likely to drown in water than on dry land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes this situation truly absurd isn\u2019t just the waste of time and money on such a blindingly obvious conclusion. No, it\u2019s the fact that these \u201cfindings\u201d will inevitably be spun into policy recommendations. Cue the sanctimonious cries for more taxpayer dollars to fund air-conditioned safe spaces for those suffering from addiction. Because that\u2019s the real solution, right? Just give the government more control and money to fix the problem, as if bureaucrats are going to solve the complex, entrenched issues of homelessness, addiction, and mental illness with central air conditioning and sun hats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a more serious issue here, though, and it\u2019s one the media won\u2019t touch: why are people lying in the streets in the first place? Could it be that decades of permissive policies, under the guise of \u201ccompassion,\u201d have only exacerbated the homelessness and addiction crises? We\u2019ve effectively normalized drug use, failed to enforce laws, and allowed cities to deteriorate into open-air homeless encampments. But instead of addressing those<\/em> uncomfortable truths, we get another ivory tower study reminding us that it\u2019s hot outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be real here. The tragic deaths of people sweltering in the streets are a symptom of a much larger problem. These individuals aren\u2019t victims of climate change\u2014they\u2019re victims of societal breakdown, enabled by politicians who refuse to enforce laws and by a culture that increasingly rejects personal responsibility. But instead of confronting that, we get a study that hand-wrings about the obvious: heat kills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s next? Perhaps we\u2019ll get a follow-up study: \u201cDrug addicts lying in snow are more likely to freeze to death than those who are inside with central heating.\u201d It would be funny if it weren\u2019t so tragically stupid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is the entire press release from EurekAlert!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston University School of Public Health<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday, October 10, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

##<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By nature of their living situation, people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are considered one of the most vulnerable<\/a> populations to the health impacts of extreme weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PEH are particularly vulnerable to heat, and the impact of heat on mortality in this group is substantially greater than for the general population, according to a new study by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Published in the American Journal of Epidemiology<\/em><\/a>, the study examined mortality rates in two hot-climate US counties\u2014Clark County in Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, and Los Angeles County in California\u2014and found that daily heat played a significant role in mortality among PEH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This association was especially notable in Clark County, where nearly 50 percent of deaths during the study period were attributable to higher daily temperatures. Although LA County observed a smaller percentage of heat-attributable deaths, at 5.2 percent, daily heat appeared to contribute to many more deaths than daily cold in both counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study is the first to examine heat-attributable mortality among PEH, providing valuable public health insight as the West Coast reels from an unprecedented October heatwave that has prompted numerous heat alerts in parts of LA and Las Vegas, where temperatures soared to 111 degrees<\/a> and 104 degrees<\/a>, respectively, in recent days. Both cities also continue<\/a> to grapple<\/a> with persistently high homelessness rates that far exceed the national average. Quantifying the impacts of extreme heat on PEH can inform new interventions and policies that reduce illness and mortality rates among this largely unsheltered population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a surprise that our team found an association between heat and mortality for unhoused people, but the magnitude was staggering,\u201d says study senior and corresponding author Dr. Jonathan Jay<\/a>, assistant professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. \u201cOur estimates are 10 to 100 times greater than the known associations between daily heat and mortality for the general population in LA and Las Vegas, and this finding highlights the moral imperative for our systems to do more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says the new findings also show that heat exposure is an important factor amplifying the vast health inequities<\/a> for PEH, and highlight the need to center the most marginalized populations in research on climate and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the study, Dr. Jay and colleagues from BUSPH and the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles utilized mortality and daily temperature data for Clark and Los Angeles counties from January 2015 to August 2022 (for Clark County) and November 2022 (for LA County). The team analyzed deaths from all causes, rather than just deaths that were acutely heat- or cold-related (such as fatal heat stroke or hyperthermia), to ensure that the analysis captured all external causes of death as a result of high temperatures. Hot weather was defined as daily temperatures above the minimum mortality temperature (MMT)\u2014the temperature at which mortality risk is lowest in each area\u2014which was 11.6 Celsius (52.8 degrees Fahrenheit) for Clark County and 19.3 Celsius for LA County (66.7 degrees Fahrenheit).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After accounting for long-term and seasonal trends, days of the week, and cumulative effects of consecutive days\u2019 temperatures, the researchers found that mortality risk among PEH increased in both hotter and colder temperatures. The heat was especially harmful in Clark County, where 15 percent of deaths were due to acutely heat-related causes, compared to 0.2 percent in LA County. Extremely hot days accounted for nearly 25 percent of all deaths in Clark County and 2.2 percent of all deaths in LA County.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was important to see that deaths increased as daily temperatures increased, from cool days to warmer days, and they spiked on hotter days, starting around 90 degrees Fahrenheit and higher,\u201d Dr. Jay says. \u201cThat\u2019s hot, but it\u2019s not even close to the hottest temperatures these cities experience,\u201d he adds, which suggests that public health advocates should be extra vigilant in providing heat-related support beyond the summer season, as climate change continues to extend the number and length of heat waves each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public health strategies that can mitigate heat impacts among PEH in communities include cooling centers, water stations, greening, and reflective painting, the researchers say. But, ultimately, these strategies should embrace a \u201cHousing First\u201d approach, as the primary cause of homelessness is a lack of affordable housing. California, in particular, is consistently<\/a> ranked<\/a> as one of the most expensive states to live in the US. Policies that promote stable housing and other financial support for PEH are even more critical following the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling<\/a> in June that permits cities to ban people from sleeping and camping in public places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo much of our policy is driven by the impulse to hide homelessness from view, rather than to recognize people\u2019s dignity, protect their health, and improve our systems,\u201d says Dr. Jay. \u201cThe idea that policing is key to solving this problem is false, and it\u2019s a miscalculation we make over and over again as a society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lead author of the study is Dr. Zihan Lin, a BUSPH postdoctoral fellow at the time of the study and a current assistant professor of biological, geographical and environmental sciences at Cleveland State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

**<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Boston University School of Public Health<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1976, Boston University School of Public Health is one of the top ten ranked schools of public health in the world. It offers master\u2019s- and doctoral-level education in public health. The faculty in six departments conduct policy-changing public health research around the world, with the mission of improving the health of populations\u2014especially the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable\u2014locally and globally.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Journal<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

American Journal of Epidemiology<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOI<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

10.1093\/aje\/kwae084 <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Method of Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Observational study<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subject of Research<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

People<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article Title<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Daily heat and mortality among people experiencing homelessness in 2 urban US counties, 2015-2022 Get access Arrow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Article Publication Date<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

25-Sep-2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

COI Statement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

G.A.W. serves as a consultant to the Health Effects Institute and recently served as a consultant for Google, LLC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alright, let\u2019s break this down: a study concludes that people lying out in the street\u2014most of whom are drug addicts\u2014are more likely to die on a hot day than those who are inside with air conditioning. Well, stop the presses! Who could have guessed that baking on asphalt like an egg on a skillet might not be conducive to longevity?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":346688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818169,691819743,691820674,691820424],"class_list":{"0":"post-346683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-bad-science","9":"tag-climate-propaganda","10":"tag-extreme-heat","11":"tag-temperatures","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/OIG-29.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1sbF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":339943,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=339943","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":0},"title":"Why California Fires Are Getting Bigger | Jim Steele | Ian Faloona","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/18\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"\"What makes these fires bigger has a lot to do with how we've mismanaged the landscapes for the last 100 years. Fire suppression, changes in grazing patterns, loss of wetlands. We allow shrub lands and grasses to build up underneath it, add more fuel to the fire, and you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Air Pollution\"","block_context":{"text":"Air Pollution","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=air-pollution"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Screenshot-2024-08-18-164933.png?fit=1064%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Screenshot-2024-08-18-164933.png?fit=1064%2C598&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Screenshot-2024-08-18-164933.png?fit=1064%2C598&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Screenshot-2024-08-18-164933.png?fit=1064%2C598&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/0Screenshot-2024-08-18-164933.png?fit=1064%2C598&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":335848,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=335848","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":1},"title":"UHI In Phoenix","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"07\/08\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s the usual nonsense about climate change, but with road surface temperatures inflated by 60F, that heat has to go somewhere, and that is back up in the air.","rel":"","context":"In \"air temperature\"","block_context":{"text":"air temperature","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=air-temperature"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-154.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-154.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-154.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-154.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/image-154.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":245846,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=245846","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":2},"title":"Why do Earth\u2019s hemispheres look equally bright when viewed from space?","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"02\/27\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Weizmann Institute scientists offer a solution to this 50-year-old mystery","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-877.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-877.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-877.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-877.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/image-877.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":330903,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=330903","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":3},"title":"Joe Biden\u2019s Dangerous Natural Gas Game","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/02\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"If the devil is in the details, bureaucracy is hell on earth. Though terrain familiar to the Biden administration, Republicans must prepare to navigate it.","rel":"","context":"In \"Department of Energy\"","block_context":{"text":"Department of Energy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=department-of-energy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/FyeBjjuXgAAp9Vg.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":219779,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=219779","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":4},"title":"Sulfur: A potential resource crisis that could stifle green technology and threaten food security as the world decarbonises","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/20\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Sulphur Institute (yes there is such a thing!) have this background information","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-985.png?fit=933%2C422&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-985.png?fit=933%2C422&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-985.png?fit=933%2C422&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-985.png?fit=933%2C422&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":234137,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=234137","url_meta":{"origin":346683,"position":5},"title":"Germany: Climate adhesives fail due to the weather","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/14\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The idea of \"bathing\" in the glue and lying on the asphalt was not particularly well thought out either.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-409.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-409.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-409.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/image-409.png?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=346683"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":346689,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346683\/revisions\/346689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/346688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=346683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=346683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=346683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}