Description
The relationship between temperature and mortality is U-shaped: Mortality increases at temperatures well above or below the optimal temperature. Moreover, this optimum is location-specific: the population of southern European countries is more resistant to high temperatures than residents of our region.Higher temperatures mainly increase mortality in the elderly, in people with cardiovascular diseases and respiratory problems, and in children under 4 years of age. The impact of heat periods is often less visible than the damage caused by, for example, floods or hurricanes. However, exposure to heat appears to cause significantly more casualties: compare, for example, the 1 500 victims of hurricane Katrina in the US in 2005 with the more than 70 000 victims of the European heatwave in the summer of 2003.This indicator therefore looks at the excess mortality caused by heatwaves in Belgium, and is based on analyses carried out by the Scientific Institute of Public Health. A heat wave is defined as a period of at least five days in which the maximum daily temperature at Uccle is 25 °C or more (summer days), and in which the temperature rises above 30 °C for three days (tropical days). Other health effects of heatwaves are also discussed.
Resources
| Name |
Format |
Description |
Link |
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8 |
|
https://metadata.vlaanderen.be/srv/dut/catalog.search#/metadata/bcc21e33-5a2e-30ba-8ad8-872c2fa3660d |
|
34 |
|
https://metadata.vlaanderen.be/srv/dut/catalog.search#/metadata/bcc21e33-5a2e-30ba-8ad8-872c2fa3660d |
Tags
- klimaatverandering
- temperatuur
- hittegolven