Extreme Heat Was mainly a killer of the old and infirm. In Mexico, That is no longer true.

As extreme temperatures spread around the world, sometimes reaching 110F and more, heat-related deaths are rising. Thousands of people have been killed in India while deaths in the Phoenix area have reached the hundreds per year. Many of those who die have preexisting conditions, and many are old.

But a new twist in the ongoing tragedy has emerged: New data show that young people — yes, young people, are dying from the heat in Mexico.

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Science Advances recently published a paper titled “Heat disproportionately kills young people: Evidence from wet-bulb temperature in Mexico.” “Wet bulb” is a measure of both air temperature and humidity, and because human bodies cool themselves through sweating, when temperature and humidity become high enough, this capacity starts to drop. 

All at risk
The data for the research was gathered between 1998 and 2019. Among the conclusions of the study was, “We find that historically, the majority of heat-related mortality in Mexico has been concentrated among younger people: 75% of heat-related deaths and 87% of heat-related lost life years occur among those under 35 years old.”

Much research shows that greenhouse gas emissions continue to raise temperatures worldwide, and in areas that were already hot, recent temperatures are unbearable for humans of all ages.

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