Characterization of the 2017 Summer Heat Waves and Their Effects on the Population of an Area of Southern Italy

Ernesto Infusino, Tommaso Caloiero, Francesco Fusto, Gianfranco Calderaro, Angelo Brutto and Giuseppe Tagarelli
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Ernesto Infusino: Department of Environmental Engineering (DIAm), University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci 41C, 87036 Rende, Italy
Tommaso Caloiero: National Research Council—Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in Mediterranean (CNR—ISAFOM), Via Cavour 4/6, 87036 Rende, Italy
Francesco Fusto: Multi-Risk Functional Center, Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Calabria, Viale degli Angioini 143, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Gianfranco Calderaro: Health Protection Department of the Calabria Region, Viale Europa, Località Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Angelo Brutto: Health Protection Department of the Calabria Region, Viale Europa, Località Germaneto, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Giuseppe Tagarelli: National Research Council—Institute for Agricultural and Forest Systems in Mediterranean (CNR—ISAFOM), Via Cavour 4/6, 87036 Rende, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-16

Abstract: Knowledge of bioclimatic comfort is paramount for improving people’s quality of life. To this purpose, several studies related to climatic comfort/discomfort have been recently published. These studies mainly focus on the analysis of temperature and relative humidity, i.e., the main variables influencing the environmental stress in the human body. In this context, the present work aims to analyze the number of visits to the hospital emergency department made by the inhabitants of the Crati River valley (Calabria region, southern Italy) during the heat waves that accompanied the African anticyclone in the summer of 2017. The analysis of the bioclimatic comfort was performed using the humidity index. Results showed that greater the index, the higher the number of accesses to the emergency department, in particular by the most vulnerable population groups, such as children and the elderly.

Keywords: temperature; humidity; humidex; hospital emergency department; Crati River; southern Italy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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