Intense Heat Waves Pose Rising Health Hazard: Expert

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- Climate change is fuelling heat waves that are becoming more frequent and intense, posing a growing challenge to human health, according to a medical expert who has called for updated metrics and criteria to address the issue, Xinhua reported.

When a heat wave hits, it is important to go beyond the traditional consideration of the temperature shown on a thermometer but to pay attention to the "wet-bulb global temperature", which comprehensively accounts for factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiant heat.

This metric more accurately reflects the actual threat of high temperatures to human health, said Victor Hoe Chee Wai of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, in a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua.

bootstrap slideshow

Hoe said that a wet-bulb thermometer is created by covering a regular thermometer with a wet cloth and placing it in moving air. As the water evaporates, it cools the thermometer, resulting in a reading that is lower than the regular air temperature.

Unlike standard air temperature, which is also known as "dry-bulb temperature", the wet-bulb global temperature better reflects how environmental heat stress affects health, particularly in outdoor or occupational settings.

Hoe emphasised that this is particularly important for Malaysia, a tropical country located near the equator, where high temperatures and humidity are present year-round, with average annual temperatures ranging from 21 to 32 degrees Celsius.

Hoe noted that as global temperatures rise and humidity levels increase, dangerous high-temperature events are becoming more frequent, and even areas with cooler climates in the past are no longer immune.

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA