Exhaustion

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In this study, we aim to gauge the impact of temperature fluctuations on productivity loss in Norway by examining the relationship between past temperature and sick leave. METHOD: We conducted our analysis using a panel dataset in the year 2018 for individual-location-specific daily temperatures and sick leave records from a national registry in Norway based on the Cohort of Norway (CONOR). RESULTS: Our findings suggest that temperature fluctuations had significant impacts on health and productivity, and these effects varied depending on the season and personal characteristics.

There is limited evidence of temporal changes in the association between air temperature and the risk of cause-specific cardiovascular [CVD] and respiratory [RD] mortality. We analysed a total of 3,159,292 non-accidental, 1,063,198 CVD and 183,027 RD deaths. We found evidence of rising population susceptibility to both heat- and cold-related CVD and RD mortality risk from 1993 to 2016. Climate change mitigation and targeted adaptation strategies might help to reduce the number of temperature-related deaths in the future.

Climate change can substantially affect temperature-related mortality and morbidity, especially under high greenhouse gas emission pathways. Achieving the Paris Agreement goals require not only drastic reductions in fossil fuel-based emissions but also land-use and land-cover changes (LULCC), such as reforestation and afforestation. LULCC has been mainly analysed in the context of land-based mitigation and food security. However, growing scientific evidence shows that LULCC can also substantially alter climate through biogeophysical effects.

Ambient air pollution is a major global public health risk factor. There is now broad consensus that exposure to air pollution causes an array of adverse health effects based on evidence from a large scientific literature that has grown exponentially since the mid-1990s. Air pollution damages most organ systems and is linked to many debilitating diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, lung cancer, and dementia.

• Heat effect modification by air pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality was investigated across 482 cities.
• Heat effect was seen to be significantly modified by air pollutants PM10, PM2.5, O3, and NO2.
• This study is the most extensive research to date investigating the heat effect modification on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality.
• This is the first-ever study to deeply investigate effect modifications by air pollutants such as PM2.5 and NO2.

Heat and cold are established environmental risk factors for human health. However, mapping the related health burden is a difficult task due to the complexity of the associations and the differences in vulnerability and demographic distributions. In this study, we did a comprehensive mortality impact assessment due to heat and cold in European urban areas, considering geographical differences and age-specific risks.

Background: Epidemiological evidence on the health risks of sulfur dioxide (SO2) is more limited compared with other pollutants, and doubts remain on several aspects, such as the form of the exposure-response relationship, the potential role of co-pollutants, as well as the actual risk at low concentrations and possible temporal variation in risks.

• Present and future global PM2.5 and O3-related premature mortality is estimated.
• The present day global premature mortality is estimated to be 5.4 million.
• Bias correction increases global PM2.5-related premature mortality to 7.7 million.
• Emission reductions alone decreases premature mortality by up to 57% in 2050.
• Aging population increases premature mortality by up to a factor of 2.

Existing studies on the association between temperatures and cardiovascular deaths have been limited in geographic zones and have generally considered associations with total cardiovascular deaths rather than cause-specific cardiovascular deaths. Across a large, multinational sample, exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures was associated with a greater risk of mortality from multiple common cardiovascular conditions. The intersections between extreme temperatures and cardiovascular health need to be thoroughly characterized in the present day—and especially under a changing climate.