Mortality and bioclimatic discomfort in Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- S Zauli Sajani1,
- G Garaffoni2,
- C A Goldoni2,
- A Ranzi1,
- S Tibaldi3,
- P Lauriola1
- 1Environmental Epidemiology Unit, ARPA Emilia Romagna, Italy
- 2Assessorato alla Sanità, Regione Emilia Romagna, Italy
- 3Regional Meteorological Service, ARPA Emilia Romagna, Italy
- Correspondence to: Dr P Lauriola, ARPA Emilia Romagna, Direzione Tecnica-Area Epidemiologia Ambientale, Strada Attiraglio 23, 41100 Modena, Italy; plauriola{at}mo.arpa.emr.it
- Accepted 14 September 2001
Many researches have highlighted the influence of climate on mortality, showing a high increase in mortality in summer time during “heatwaves”, periods with very high temperature and humidity levels. This relation seems to be stronger than those between mortality and other environmental factors, such as atmospheric pollution.1 According to estimates made in the United States and Greece, unusual heatwaves could cause a 100% increase in daily mortality with respect to the period mean value,2,3 and it might also be speculated that most of such deaths would not have occurred. The greatest effects have been detected in cities with high but episodic peaks of intensly hot weather, such as Chicago, New York, Athens, and Rome. The relevance of such studies is …
