The risk of death from heatstroke rises when the daytime high exceeds 27.1 C, a joint study by the Tokyo metropolitan government and the University of Tokyo has found, with the research team urging people to actively use their air conditioners as midsummer approaches.
Tokyo study finds heatstroke death risk rises when temperatures top 27.1 C
TOKYO, July 9 (Kyodo/APP):The risk of death from heatstroke rises when the daytime high exceeds 27.1 C, a joint study by the Tokyo metropolitan government and the University of Tokyo has found, with the research team urging people to actively use their air conditioners as midsummer approaches.
The study by the Tokyo Medical Examiner’s Office and the university’s graduate school analyzed 1,447 cases in Tokyo’s 23 wards where heatstroke was listed as the cause of death between January 2013 and September 2023, examining factors such as weather conditions at the time of death and whether air conditioners had been installed.
The analysis showed that when the maximum temperature topped 33 C, the risk of death among people not using air conditioning was more than double that of those using it. It also found that when temperatures exceeded 31 C, the effects of the heat lingered for four to five days, keeping the risk of death elevated.
Cases believed to have involved failure to use air conditioners effectively or properly, such as vents clogged with dust or setting errors, accounted for 16.4 percent of indoor deaths, according to the study.
