[Iran Press TV Latest] Around 520 people have died in Belgium since April in a heat wave which has claimed scores of lives in southern and eastern Europe.
Between April 1 and July 4, a total of 520 people died across the country, said Bianca Cox, a scientific collaborator at the Scientific Institute of Public Health in Belgium, which provides research on public health issues.
It is not clear yet why they died, but researchers speculate it could be linked to the heat and lower concentrations of ozone levels, Cox told CNN.
| Lower ozone levels? But I thought it was high ozone concentrations that led to lung problems. Perhaps the problem is low ozone in the upper atmosphere? But I thought the southern polar hole in the ozone had mysteriously healed itself when no one was looking... *sigh* It's so hard to keep track of the latest environmental panic. |
The deaths were mainly among those 80 and older, she said, and many already had underlying conditions such as heart and respiratory problems. The elderly and those with health problems can be particularly vulnerable to hot weather.
The heat wave across much of Europe is also causing crops to wither, forest fires to ignite and roads to melt, while refrigerators and fans are buckling in the searing sun. |