The mechanism-specific injury mortality burden associated with heatwave in China in a warming world

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of heatwaves on non-accidental mortality, yet the association and burden of heatwaves on mechanism-specific injury mortality remain underexplored. This study collected 257,267 injury-related fatalities and corresponding daily maximum temperatures (DMT) a...

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Main Authors: Jianxiong Hu, Shaoli Huang, Yulin Zhuo, Jianhua Zhang, Weiwei Gong, Guanhao He, Maigeng Zhou, Fangfang Zeng, Ruilin Meng, Tao Liu, Chunliang Zhou, Yize Xiao, Min Yu, Biao Huang, Guoxia Bai, Hua Guo, Wenjun Ma
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Environment International
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024008286
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Summary:Numerous studies have investigated the impact of heatwaves on non-accidental mortality, yet the association and burden of heatwaves on mechanism-specific injury mortality remain underexplored. This study collected 257,267 injury-related fatalities and corresponding daily maximum temperatures (DMT) across seven Chinese provinces from 2013 to 2023. A heatwave was characterized by two or more successive days where the DMT surpassed its 92.5th percentile. Employing a case-crossover design, the study revealed a 12 % increase in injury mortality [95 % confidence interval (CI): 10 %, 14 %] during heatwave days compared to non-heatwave days, with a notably higher risk for drowning (ER = 22 %, 95 % CI: 16 %, 30 %). From 2013 to 2023, heatwaves were responsible for 1.64 % (95 % CI: 1.37 %, 1.90 %) of total injury-related fatalities. Additionally, future mortality burdens from 2030 to 2099 were projected, revealing that under the SSP5-8.5 scenario, the attributable fractions (AFs) of injury mortality due to heatwaves is expected to escalate from 2.66 % in the 2030s (95 % CI: 2.02 %, 3.44 %) to 7.72 % (95 % CI: 5.87 %, 9.97 %) in the 2090s, particularly in southwest China. Regarding specific mechanisms of injury, AFs for drowning is projected to rise significantly from 4.60 % (95 % CI: 3.36 %, 5.87 %) in the 2030s to 13.35 % (95 % CI: 9.75 %, 17.02 %) by the 2090s under the SSP5-8.5 scenario. This investigation underscores that heatwaves pose a significant risk for injury-related mortality, offering valuable insights for the development of adaptation strategies to effectively address climate change.
ISSN:0160-4120