While extreme heat poses a greater threat to the physical health of the elderly than to the young, in Mexico the large majority of heat-related deaths are actually among people under 35, a new study finds.
Mexico collects highly granular data on weather and mortality, allowing researchers to spot spikes in heat deaths during hot and humid stretches. Their analysis, published in Science Advances, found that from 1998 to 2019 heat killed around 3,300 people each year. Of these, 75 percent were under the age of 35.
“It’s a surprise,” said coauthor Jeffrey Shrader, of Columbia University. “I would love to know why this is so.”
Authors speculate that young adults may be more likely to face severe heat as many work outdoors in farming or construction or in factories lacking air conditioning. Small children and babies are also highly vulnerable to heat, as their sweat glands are not yet fully developed.
Researchers say the number of heat deaths among children and young adults may be even more stark in parts of Africa and Asia where there are large shares of young people and outdoor workers.
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