JAKARTA - Extreme heat waves have reached unsafe conditions for the human body, especially the elderly. This finding emerged from a new study that re-examined six major heat waves in 2003-2024 and concluded that the deadly threat is already happening now.
Six of the events studied occurred in Mecca, Bangkok, Phoenix, Mount Isa, Larkana, and Seville. So far, the theoretical limit of human survival has often been associated with six hours of exposure to a wet ball temperature of 35 degrees Celsius, a size that combines temperature and humidity. However, this study shows that deadly conditions can arise long before that threshold is reached.
The lead author of the study from the Australian National University, Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick, called the results surprising. "If this is happening now, what will the future be like when the temperature rises another two or three degrees?" he said. The study published in Nature Communications used a new physiological model that calculates temperature, humidity, age, and the body's ability to cool itself.
The results are harsh. All the heat waves studied have periods that cannot be safely passed by people over 65 years old who are outdoors in full sun. In Larkana and Phoenix, the condition is even unsafe for the elderly even if they are in the shade. In Larkana, there is also a dangerous period for people aged 18-35 years under the scorching sun.
The study also reminds us that the victims of heat are likely to be much more than those recorded, especially in developing and densely populated areas. Still according to The Guardian report, the researchers wrote that the deadly condition has put hundreds of millions of people at serious risk.
Another researcher, Ollie Jay from the University of Sydney, said the threat to human life already exists now and the risk in the future is almost certainly greater than previously estimated. The human body basically relies only on sweat to keep the core temperature safe. When high temperatures meet high humidity, sweat evaporation weakens and heatstroke can turn deadly. The elderly are the most vulnerable group because their sweating ability decreases with age, especially over 75 years old.
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