Climate Change and Human Health Impacts in the United States: An Update on the Results of the U.S. National Assessment

Ebi, Kristie L.; Mills, David M.; Smith, Joel B.; Grambsch, Anne

The substantial research into the morbidity and mortality impacts of temperature completed since the HSA has mostly confirmed the initial conclusions. Comprehensive literature reviews (e.g., Basu and Samet 2002) continue to conclude that elevated temperatures increase the risks of morbidity and mortality, that these risks vary by location, and that a number of socioeconomic factors (e.g., age, poverty) can affect an individual's health risk during a heat event. Other publications (e.g., Greene et al. 1999; Smoyer et al. 2000) continue to build evidence for site-specific relationships between combinations of meteorologic conditions and increased daily mortality through synoptic climate modeling studies. Similarly, a number of studies (e.g., Curriero et al. 2002; Davis et al. 2003a Davis et al. , 2003b ) support prior conclusions regarding the existence of regional differences in the vulnerability of U.S. populations, with populations in the northeastern and north-central regions at the highest risk.