Nighttime heat waves linked to asthma emergency room visits in Baltimore
· News-Medical"When it's hot outside at night, it's stifling in an upstairs bedroom of a row home without air conditioning," Zaitchik said, adding that night is when most people are exposed to extreme heat. "During the daytime, people are less likely to be at home. Unless you work outdoors, most people have access to cool spaces. Adults work in offices or stores and kids go to daycare or camp."
Prolonged exposure-during a heat wave rather than a single day of extreme heat, for example-can lead to worsening symptoms, the researchers said.
In 2024, Corpuz and a group of researchers showed that Baltimore is a mosaic of heat, with some neighborhoods experiencing more intense conditions than others.
"Heat exposure can vary drastically from one neighborhood to the next, and those differences matter for health," said Corpuz, a visiting researcher at Johns Hopkins who was a graduate student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the time of the research. "When we measure temperature at the neighborhood scale, we can see patterns that aren't captured by regional weather data. That kind of local information is critical if cities want to better protect vulnerable communities."
"Different kinds of heat affect different people in various ways," Zaitchik said. "And what we really need is a more nuanced and sophisticated heat risk communication and preparedness."
Source:
Journal reference: