Heat-related mortality and ambulance transport after a power outage in the Tokyo metropolitan area

Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The Environmental Epidemiology. All rights reserved..

Background: Air conditioners can prevent heat-related illness and mortality, but the increased use of air conditioners may enhance susceptibility to heat-related illnesses during large-scale power failures. Here, we examined the risks of heat-related illness ambulance transport (HIAT) and mortality associated with typhoon-related electricity reduction (ER) in the summer months in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Methods: We conducted event study analyses to compare temperature-HIAT and mortality associations before and after the power outage (July to September 2019). To better understand the role of temperature during the power outage, we then examined whether the temperature-HIAT and mortality associations were modified by different power outage levels (0%, 10%, and 20% ER). We computed the ratios of relative risks to compare the risks associated with various ER values to the risks associated without ER.

Results: We analyzed the data of 14,912 HIAT cases and 74,064 deaths. Overall, 93,200 power outage cases were observed when the typhoon hit. Event study results showed that the incidence rate ratio was 2.01 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.42, 2.84) with effects enduring up to 6 days, and 1.11 (95% CI = 1.02, 1.22) for mortality on the first 3 days after the typhoon hit. Comparing 20% to 0% ER, the ratios of relative risks of heat exposure were 2.32 (95% CI = 1.41, 3.82) for HIAT and 0.95 (95% CI = 0.75, 1.22) for mortality.

Conclusions: A 20% ER was associated with a two-fold greater risk of HIAT because of summer heat during the power outage, but there was little evidence for the association with all-cause mortality.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:8

Enthalten in:

Environmental epidemiology (Philadelphia, Pa.) - 8(2024), 2 vom: 01. Apr., Seite e292

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Yamasaki, Lisa [VerfasserIn]
Kamada, Takuma [VerfasserIn]
Ng, Chris Fook Sheng [VerfasserIn]
Takane, Yuya [VerfasserIn]
Nakajima, Ko [VerfasserIn]
Yamaguchi, Kazuki [VerfasserIn]
Oka, Kazutaka [VerfasserIn]
Honda, Yasushi [VerfasserIn]
Kim, Yoonhee [VerfasserIn]
Hashizume, Masahiro [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Ambulances
Blackout
Energy insecurity
Heat stress disorders
Hot temperature
Japan
Journal Article
Mortality
Natural disasters
Power outage

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 16.04.2024

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1097/EE9.0000000000000292

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM371067634