As climate change continues to increase the severity, frequency and duration of heat wave, prisoners and prison workers are at greater mortality risk if their environment is not air conditioned, according to a new study on Texas prisons published in JAMA Network Open.
The study examined the relationship between heat exposure and mortality risks in Texas prisons, focusing on how these risks vary between prisons with air conditioning and those without it.
The researchers analysed data gathered between 2001 and 2019 showing that 271 people died due to extreme heat exposure during that timeframe.
Even a 1° Fahrenheit (0.56°C) increase above 85°F (29.4°C) can increase the daily mortality risk by 0.7%, the researchers found.
The research team combined data from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics on mortality in Texas prisons with temperature data from NASA and used a novel epidemiologic analysis to arrive at its findings. About 13% of mortality during warm months may be attributable to extreme heat in Texas prison facilities without air conditioning.
It is important to note that while an average of 14 people died each year from heat-related causes in Texas prisons without air conditioning, not a single heat-related death occurred in climate-controlled prisons, said lead study author Julie Skarha, recent PhD graduate.
“The majority of Texas prisons do not have universal air conditioning,” Skarha said. “And in these settings, we found a 30-fold increase in heat-related mortality when compared to estimates of heat-related mortality in the general US population.”
Study co-author Dr David Dosa, an associate professor of medicine at Brown, pointed out that heat is often a silent killer.
“We have seen similar situations in nursing homes, where heat isn’t reported on the death certificate,” said Dosa. “It’s only after we run these analyses that we can determine how much of a role heat played in someone’s death.”
The findings, the researchers said, suggest that an air conditioning policy for Texas prisons may be an important part of protecting the health of people living and working in these facilities.
Source: Brown University
