London - Cold weather kills nearly 20 times as many people as hot conditions, according to an international study.
The findings also reveal that deaths due to moderately hot or cold weather substantially exceed those resulting from heatwaves or extreme cold spells.
Researchers analysed more than 74 million deaths in 13 countries, including the UK, between 1985 and 2012. They also looked at temperature records and other climate data to calculate the temperature of minimum mortality – the optimal temperature.
Around 7.71 percent of all deaths were caused by non-optimal temperatures. Cold was responsible for 7.29 percent of deaths, while 0.42 percent were attributable to heat, according to the study, published in The Lancet medical journal.
Extreme temperatures were responsible for less than one percent of deaths, while mildly sub-optimal temperatures accounted for about seven percent.
Lead author Doctor Antonio Gasparrini, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “It’s often assumed that extreme weather causes the majority of deaths. Our findings show that the majority of temperature-related deaths actually happen on moderately hot and cold days.”
Daily Mail