Heat and health: evaluation of risk groups and environmental risk conditions

Heat and heatwaves lead to adverse health effects also in a cold climate, and climate change will further exacerbate the risks. Epidemiological analyses in the HEATRISKS project will provide new knowledge on two aspects of human vulnerability to heat: biological sensitivity and hazardous environmental conditions. Data on health, such as hospital admissions, mortality, and medication use, come from national Finnish registers and is supplemented with Swedish and Norwegian register data for the analyses on the effects of heat on pregnancy. We also collect new data on indoor temperatures and health symptoms among the elderly. The results of the project will provide guidance for policy makers and health professionals, but also directly for vulnerable persons, on the health risks of heat and ways to mitigate them.