Publication: L.A. Times

UCLA Expert: David Eisenman: David Eisenman: Professor-in-Residence, Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health; Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine; Director, Center for Public Health and Disasters; Deputy Director for Community Partnerships, Center for Healthy Climate Solutions

Edith De Guzman: Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability; Director and Co-founder, Los Angeles Urban Cooling Collaborative

Synopsis: About 150 people die every day in L.A. County during the summertime, but during an extreme heat event the deaths increase by 8% to 30%. Homeless people are particularly vulnerable.

UCLA News: The effects of climate change have exacerbated heat-related deaths over the years, Eisenman said, creating longer, more frequent and more severe heat waves that come earlier and end later in the season. Heat-related illness and death are “notoriously” undercounted because patients in emergency rooms are frequently diagnosed with other medical conditions, such as dehydration and kidney failure, without any mention of their high temperatures and exposure to heat, according to Eisenman. Homeless people are particularly vulnerable during heat waves because they’re more likely to have pre-existing medical conditions and find it harder to stay hydrated and out of the sun. “When you’re in a tent, when the sun is shining, it’s like a greenhouse,” De Guzman said. “You may be in a somewhat shaded environment, but it’s actually magnified in a tent and ... even worse than being outside.”

Read more at L.A. Times.