Kenny Glen P, Tetzlaff Emily J, Journeay W Shane, Henderson Sarah B, O'Connor Fergus K
Human and Environmental Physiology Research Unit, School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Temperature (Austin). 2024 Jun 4;11(3):203-246. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2024.2361223. eCollection 2024.
The likelihood of exposure to overheated indoor environments is increasing as climate change is exacerbating the frequency and severity of hot weather and extreme heat events (EHE). Consequently, vulnerable populations will face serious health risks from indoor overheating. While the relationship between EHE and human health has been assessed in relation to outdoor temperature, indoor temperature patterns can vary markedly from those measured outside. This is because the built environment and building characteristics can act as an important modifier of indoor temperatures. In this narrative review, we examine the physiological and behavioral determinants that influence a person's susceptibility to indoor overheating. Further, we explore how the built environment, neighborhood-level factors, and building characteristics can impact exposure to excess heat and we overview how strategies to mitigate building overheating can help reduce heat-related mortality in heat-vulnerable occupants. Finally, we discuss the effectiveness of commonly recommended personal cooling strategies that aim to mitigate dangerous increases in physiological strain during exposure to high indoor temperatures during hot weather or an EHE. As global temperatures continue to rise, the need for a research agenda specifically directed at reducing the likelihood and impact of indoor overheating on human health is paramount. This includes conducting EHE simulation studies to support the development of consensus-based heat mitigation solutions and public health messaging that provides equitable protection to heat-vulnerable people exposed to high indoor temperatures.
随着气候变化加剧炎热天气和极端高温事件（EHE）的发生频率和严重程度，人们暴露于过热室内环境的可能性正在增加。因此，弱势群体将面临室内过热带来的严重健康风险。虽然已经针对室外温度评估了极端高温事件与人类健康之间的关系，但室内温度模式可能与室外测量的温度有显著差异。这是因为建筑环境和建筑特征可能是室内温度的重要调节因素。在这篇叙述性综述中，我们研究了影响个体对室内过热易感性的生理和行为决定因素。此外，我们探讨了建筑环境、社区层面因素和建筑特征如何影响过热暴露，并概述了减轻建筑过热的策略如何有助于降低易受热影响的居住者的热相关死亡率。最后，我们讨论了常用的个人降温策略的有效性，这些策略旨在减轻在炎热天气或极端高温事件期间暴露于高室内温度时生理压力的危险增加。随着全球气温持续上升，制定一项专门针对降低室内过热对人类健康的可能性和影响的研究议程至关重要。这包括开展极端高温事件模拟研究，以支持基于共识的热缓解解决方案的开发，以及为暴露于高室内温度的易受热影响人群提供公平保护的公共卫生信息。
