[Anchor]
The heat of the intense summer wave fails to cool down even at night. Typically, a tropical night is defined as when the nighttime lowest temperature does not drop below 25°C, but a new study has shown that the risk of mortality increases even at nighttime temperatures below this tropical night threshold.
Reporter Jeong Banseok has the details.
[Reporter]
85-year-old Ha, who lives alone in a single-room studio in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
During the day, Ha stays at a senior center equipped with a heat relief shelter, returning home in the evening.
[Ha / Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul: I come here in the morning, have lunch, and since there is nothing else to do elsewhere, I go up to the second floor to catch some cool breeze and play janggi.]
Although Ha received support from the local government three years ago to install a window-type air conditioner, Ha gets through tropical nights using only a fan.
[Ha / Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul: The air conditioner broke, so it's a hassle to operate it by hand. I have to get up to turn it on, and get up to turn it off.]
It is past 7:00 PM.
Being a semi-basement space baked all day, the indoor temperature reaches 33°C.
Stepping outside the house, it actually feels cooler.
Measuring the actual temperature, it reads 31°C, which is 2°C lower than inside the house.
Without cooling or ventilation, indoor temperatures can rise more than 3°C higher than outside, meaning that even when the outside temperature is just 22°C, the indoors is effectively a tropical night.
An analysis of summer mortality data in the capital area from 2011 to 2017 by a Seoul National University research team showed that the risk of mortality increases by 4% when the lowest temperature is 22°C, rising up to 13% when it hits 25°C.
This means the risk of death increases even below the 25°C tropical night threshold.
Particularly for the elderly, caution is required as there are many cases where they do not turn on air conditioners even if they have them.
[Ahn / Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul: Even if it's hot, well. I just live alone. I just leave the door open and sleep. (Does the air conditioner work well?) I don't know because I haven't turned it on. Ever since my husband passed away, for 7 years? I haven't turned it on.]
[Kim Ho / Professor, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University: Many elderly individuals do not run air conditioners due to concerns over electricity bills, and some fail to sense the heat due to declining physical functions. Even before a tropical night warning is issued, when temperatures are high, (steps should be taken) to ensure air conditioning can be used.]
Whether it is officially a tropical night or not, during sustained heatwaves, maintaining an appropriate indoor temperature through cooling or ventilation is essential.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
Reported by Jeong Banseok | Video by Kim Seung-tae | Video Editing by Choi Hye-ran | Graphics by Lee Jun-ho
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