Ashley Ward, Heat Policy Innovation Hub Director, Duke University:
Sure.
I mean, certainly, our age populations, children, the poor, as the mayor pointed out, but also pregnant women. In many of these cases, what’s happening is the body’s ability to thermoregulate is not as efficient as it once was when someone was younger, if you’re a child, not quite as efficient as it will be.
And so, as you get exposed to heat, your body is having to work harder to keep your core body temperature at safe levels. But also many of the people in these vulnerable groups suffer from other underlying chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease or respiratory renal diseases, which also make it harder for your body to thermoregulate.
And then, finally, they take prescription drugs, which many of them actually impede the body’s ability to cool itself down. And these are very common medications, say like for hypertension, high blood pressure, anti-anxiety, anti-depression medications, anti-psychotics. These are common medications that people take, and they may not understand that last year they were able to go out and go for a walk at 3:00 in the afternoon.
But, this year, because of that medication, it might be a little more dangerous for them to do so.
