Urban H: Housing, Heat and Health
In 2023, heat records were broken on all continents and the world saw the highest global temperatures in over 100,000 years. With buildings and roads retaining heat and creating urban heat islands, warmer cities have not only become increasingly uncomfortable but are also posing health risks such as heat exhaustion and respiratory disorders to their inhabitants. In the US, the 175 largest cities–which account for 65 percent of the total population–have seen a disproportionate number of heat-related deaths in the past 15 years.
Extreme Heat May Substantially Raise Mortality Risk for People Experiencing Homelessness
By nature of their living situation, people experiencing homelessness (PEH) are considered one of the most vulnerable populations to the health impacts of extreme weather. PEH are particularly vulnerable to heat, and the impact of heat on mortality in this group is substantially greater than for the general population, according to a new study by the School of Public Health.
Thinking Climate Change? Think Exposure to Extreme Heat
When we think about climate change impacts in cities like Boston, we often envision dumpsters floating in the Seaport or flooding on Morrissey Boulevard. However, exposure to extreme heat results in more emergency room visits, more hospital admissions, and more deaths than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
Heat Waves Are Scorching Boston, but Are Some Neighborhoods Hotter than Others?
The heat island effect means some parts of the city warm up more than others when summer temperatures soar. While parks and other areas with green space and greater tree cover provide shade, and cool the air through evaporation and transpiration, the dark roofs and asphalt of densely developed areas absorb and radiate the sun’s heat. Despite its diversity of environments, Boston decides whether it’s in a heat wave from temperature readings at just one site: Boston Logan International Airport.
A Clear Path through Murky Waters: Alum Finds Meaningful Career Studying Water Contamination
Upon finishing her PhD in environmental health at the School of Public Health, Beth Haley (SPH’24) moved to Oregon, drawn, she says, to the vast natural landscapes more commonly found out West. As a post-doctoral researcher with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Haley aims to tackle threats to water quality specific to the Pacific Northwest. Beth Haley’s PhD dissertation in environmental health linked sewage overflows with illness in Massachusetts and now her current post-doctoral research with the Environmental Protection Agency aims to tackle water quality in Pacific coastal areas.
Creating and Managing Rental Registries: Cities’ Experiences and Exploring Use of Lived Experience to Evaluate Impact
According to HUD’s American Healthy Homes Survey II, 22.3 million housing units in the U.S. have one or more significant lead-based paint hazards. Many unsafe housing units are in disadvantaged neighborhoods where most people rent their homes and may be unable to afford better, safer housing. For a city’s most vulnerable residents, a rental registry with proactive inspections is a lifeline.
Sewage discharges increase risk of hospital visits for residents near Merrimack River, study finds
People living in communities along the Merrimack River are at increased risk of developing acute gastrointestinal illnesses in the days following large combined sewer overflows, according to a study from researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health.
Heat waves can be deadly for older adults: An aging global population and rising temperatures mean millions are at risk
Regardless of where or when a heat wave strikes, one pattern has been a constant: Older adults are the most likely to die from extreme heat, and the crisis is worsening. Our research documents two global trends that together portend a dire future.
Solving urban health problems from a global perspective
Boston has experienced more hot days and nights in the last ten years than ever before. And Boston University students are looking for solutions. In fall 2023, students in CAS SO490: “Politics of Global Health,” a MetroBridge course, investigated methods to mitigate climate issues like extreme heat, storm water, and coastal flooding in cities in the US and around the world in order to address the problem in Greater Boston.
Muppets from Sesame Workshop help explain opioid addiction to young children
Tevis Simon grew up in West Baltimore back in the 1980s, a neighborhood that lacked attention from the city and investment from the government. From day to day, she was never sure what version of her mother she’d encounter. “I knew that if my mom had her drugs, that she was fun, mommy. And if she didn’t, then she was mean mommy,” Simon says.