Citation

Can G, Sahin U, Sayılı U, Dubé M, Kara B, Acar HC, İnan B, Aksu Sayman Ö, Lebel G, Bustinza R, Küçükali H, Güven U, Gosselin P. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019; 16(22): e16224348.

Affiliation

Institut national de santé publique du Québec and Université Laval, 945 Avenue Wolfe, Québec, QC G1V 5B3, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph16224348

PMID

31703402

Abstract

Heat waves are one of the most common direct impacts of anthropogenic climate change and excess mortality their most apparent impact. While Turkey has experienced an increase in heat wave episodes between 1971 and 2016, no epidemiological studies have examined their potential impacts on public health so far. In this study excess mortality in Istanbul attributable to extreme heat wave episodes between 2013 and 2017 is presented. Total excess deaths were calculated using mortality rates across different categories, including age, sex, and cause of death. The analysis shows that three extreme heat waves in the summer months of 2015, 2016, and 2017, which covered 14 days in total, significantly increased the mortality rate and caused 419 excess deaths in 23 days of exposure. As climate simulations show that Turkey is one of the most vulnerable countries in the Europe region to the increased intensity of heat waves until the end of the 21st century, further studies about increased mortality and morbidity risks due to heat waves in Istanbul and other cities, as well as intervention studies, are necessary.

Language: en

Keywords

Istanbul; cardiovascular; heat wave; high temperature; mortality