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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Health risks associated with extreme heat
0:17:58
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61 sec
Carolyn Olson details the specific health risks associated with extreme heat and the importance of air conditioning.
- Health risks increase rapidly when the heat index reaches about 95 degrees and above
- Heat stress is cumulative, with consecutive hot days compounding the risk
- Lack of home air conditioning is the strongest risk factor for heat stroke death
- About 80% of lethal heat stroke victims die at home, almost always without working residential cooling
Carolyn Olson
0:17:58
First, health risks from extreme heat are significant.
0:18:02
While seasonal hot weather contributes to heat stress when the heat index reaches about 95 degrees and above, the risk of serious illness or death increases rapidly.
0:18:14
Second, heat stress is cumulative.
0:18:17
Consecutive days of extreme heat compound the risk as the body's temperature rises and dehydration worsens.
0:18:24
Third, our epidemiologic research has shown that lack of air conditioning at home during extreme heat is the strongest risk factor for heat stroke death.
0:18:34
About ninety percent of adult New Yorkers ers have home air conditioning and about seventy five percent of vulnerable adults report using home air conditioning often during extreme heat.
0:18:45
But about eighty percent of the victims of lethal heat stroke die at home almost always without working residential cooling.
0:18:53
For all these reasons cooling centers are a key part of an extreme heat public health protection strategy.