“Health is significantly affected by temperature extremes, which have increased in recent years and their frequency has increased. The greatest burden is mainly the prolongation of the duration of heat waves, which has the most direct effect on health,” warns Hana Hanzlíková, a scientist from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences . According to him, the worst heat wave in the Czech Republic claimed 250 lives, with the most deaths occurring in Prague.
Highlights of Aktuálně.cz – Hana Hanzlíková | Video: Jakub Zuzanek
“For the Czech Republic, the temperature at risk is 30 degrees, but it is always important to assess the air temperature together with the humidity. The higher the humidity, the more difficult it is for you to tolerate high air temperatures,” explains Hana Hanzlíková, according to who long-term exposure to high temperatures can negatively affect our health and can even shorten our lives: “According to the latest results, it has shortened people’s lives by two to three years for about the last 10 years.”
Heat is most dangerous for the elderly and children under the age of four, but everyone should be aware of its effects. According to experts, people should totally change their normal daily routine in high temperatures – they should go out only in the morning and evening when the temperature is not at its maximum, they should drink enough and avoid heavy food, but above all, limit physical activity.
“In the south, there is the famous siesta, which we may envy a little, but it is an absolute necessity,” explains Hanzlíková, adding that if high temperatures become commonplace in our country, siesta should also be taken. by Czech.
And where is it most difficult for a person to endure heat? Hanzlíková claims that the places with the worst climates appear in the long term in summer. “Hot islands” are created in them, when heat accumulates due to dense construction, overcrowding of houses and the absence of greenery. But the expert warns that in such cases, one should also be wary of “air-conditioned” spaces. “We can’t condition the room more than five degrees to the outside temperature. So when it’s 35 degrees outside, you have to be thirty years old at work,” added Hanzlíková.
You can watch the entire interview in the introductory video or listen to it on your favorite podcast app.
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