Climate change and health: indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Dvonch JT ; Jolliet O ; O'Neill MS ; Parker EA ; Sánchez BN ; White-Newsome JL ; Zhang Z
• Description:
  INTRODUCTION: Climate change is increasing the frequency of heat waves and hot weather in many urban environments. Older people are more vulnerable to heat exposure but spend most of their time indoors. Few published studies have addressed indoor heat exposure in residences occupied by an elderly population. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between outdoor and indoor temperatures in homes occupied by the elderly and determine other predictors of indoor temperature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected hourly indoor temperature measurements of 30 different homes; outdoor temperature, dewpoint temperature, and solar radiation data during summer 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. We used mixed linear regression to model indoor temperatures' responsiveness to weather, housing and environmental characteristics, and evaluated our ability to predict indoor heat exposures based on outdoor conditions. RESULTS: Average maximum indoor temperature for all locations was 34.85 degrees C, 13.8 degrees C higher than average maximum outdoor temperature. Indoor temperatures of single family homes constructed of vinyl paneling or wood siding were more sensitive than brick homes to outdoor temperature changes and internal heat gains. Outdoor temperature, solar radiation, and dewpoint temperature predicted 38% of the variability of indoor temperatures. CONCLUSIONS: Indoor exposures to heat in Detroit exceed the comfort range among elderly occupants, and can be predicted using outdoor temperatures, characteristics of the housing stock and surroundings to improve heat exposure assessment for epidemiological investigations. Weatherizing homes and modifying home surroundings could mitigate indoor heat exposure among the elderly. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Age Factors Aging Climate Change Environmental Health Environmental Monitoring Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Hot Temperature Occupational Health Safety Temperature

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• Keywords:
  Age-factors Age-groups Author Keywords: Indoor Heat Exposure Building Characteristics Built Environment Climate Change Climatic-conditions Climatic-effects Climatic-factors Elderly Environmental-health-monitoring Environmental-technology Health-hazards Heat-exposure Heat-regulation Hot-environments Humans Indoor-environmental-quality Mathematical-models Measurement-equipment Outdoors Solar-energy Temperature-effects Temperature-measurement

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• ISSN:
  0013-9351
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  20-27
• Volume:
  112
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20040528
• Citation:
  Environ Res 2012 Jan; 112:20-27
• Contact Point Address:
  Jalonne L. White-Newsome, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Department, 109 S. Observatory, SPH II, Rm. M6314, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
• Email:
  jalonne@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Environmental Research
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:25c5f39cde3fca99ead0f2bc52fb0e1ff351f4e073d7c6bc67da152919cd8948a6e8d39a2bcbb2def2667a3c77724ad8dbb3ed6f5b1663383ec434203c76a602
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193345/cdc_193345_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 469.59 KB ]