Posted on 11/06/2022 1:41:59 PM PST by ConservativeMind
The U.S. has the world's largest population of prisoners, and Texas holds more incarcerated people than any other state. As climate change continues to increase the severity, frequency and duration of heat waves, the approximately 160,000 individuals in Texas prisons—as well as the people who work in these settings—come under intense physical duress in prisons without climate controls, according to a new study.
The study examined the relationship between heat exposure and mortality risks in Texas prisons, focusing on how these risks vary between prisons with air conditioning and those without it.
The researchers analyzed data gathered between 2001 and 2019 showing that 271 people died due to extreme heat exposure during that timeframe.
Even a 1 degree increase above 85 degrees Fahrenheit can elevate the daily risk of dying by 0.7%, the researchers found.
The research team combined data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics on mortality in Texas prisons with temperature data from NASA and used a novel epidemiologic analysis to arrive at its findings. The team reported that approximately 13% of mortality during warm months may be attributable to extreme in Texas prison facilities without air conditioning.
It is important to note that while an average of 14 people died each year from heat-related causes in Texas prisons without air conditioning, not a single heat-related death occurred in climate-controlled prisons, said Julie Skarha.
"The majority of Texas prisons do not have universal air conditioning," Skarha said. "And in these settings, we found a 30-fold increase in heat-related mortality when compared to estimates of heat-related mortality in the general U.S. population."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
The occasional Bigfoot lol.
I worked in the Shell refinery in New Orleans for a couple of years in full protective gear. In the summer, I would lose 10-15 lbs. Sweated out everything I drank.
Suck it up buttercup.
You laugh it up, I’m not mad. They exist. Hope you don’t meet one lest your bowels evac.
Don’t really care if anyone believes me or not.
I still love the woods regardless of Sabe.
Not much sympathy...
In 19 years, that is 14 deaths which can be expressed as 0.00009 annually. That's less than 1/100th of one percent.
Who funded this study? Better yet, why was this study funded?
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