Scientists have identified the category of people who should be most afraid of heat: and it's not elders, as previously thought

Many recent studies have argued that the elderly are at particular risk of dying from extreme heat as the planet warms. However, a new study of mortality in Mexico turns this assumption on its head.

Scientists note that 75% of heat-related deaths occur among people under the age of 35. It is frightening that a large percentage of them are aged 18 to 30, Phys.org writes.

For the new study, the researchers chose Mexico because it collects detailed geographic data on mortality and daily temperature. The researchers came to unexpected conclusions by correlating excess mortality with temperature on the so-called wet thermometer scale, which measures the increased impact of heat combined with humidity.

The analysis showed that from 1998 to 2019, the country experienced about 3,300 heat-related deaths per year. Almost a third of them were among people aged 18 to 35, and they were mostly men.

Scientists note that children under 5, especially infants, are also very vulnerable to heat. However, people aged 50 to 70 suffered the least from the heat.

"We predict that as the climate warms, the number of heat-related deaths will increase, and young people will be hardest hit," said R. Daniel Bressler, PhD, one of the study's lead authors.

The researchers say that several factors influenced the findings. First of all, young people are more likely to be engaged in outdoor work, including agriculture and construction, and thus are more susceptible to dehydration and heat stroke. The same applies to indoor production in non-air-conditioned premises.

Scientists note that young people are also more likely to engage in intense outdoor sports.

Regarding the impact of heat on young children, scientists note that their bodies absorb heat quickly, and the ability to sweat, and therefore cool down, is not fully developed. The immune system of toddlers is also still developing, which can make them susceptible to diseases that become more common in hot and humid climates, experts say.

The new study found that the highest number of deaths occurred when the temperature on a wet thermometer was only 23 or 24 C. That's because these temperatures occurred much more frequently than higher temperatures, and thus, in aggregate, more people were exposed to dangerous conditions, experts say.

Despite all the attention paid to the dangers of global warming, extensive research has shown that cold, not heat, is now the leading cause of temperature-related deaths worldwide. However, the share of heat-related deaths has been increasing since 2000, and this trend is expected to continue, scientists say.

OBOZ.UA previously wrote that scientists have warned humanity about extreme weather in the next 20 years, which will be felt by 70% of the world's population.

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