--- title: Heat-Related Deaths Have Increased More Than 100% Since 1999 description: The research comes after a summer of scorching temperatures and heat waves in the U.S. canonical: https://time.com/7014972/heat-related-deaths-increased-research/ author: Chantelle Lee article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-08-26T20:17:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:50:18.489Z article:section: Climate og:title: Heat-Related Deaths Have Increased More than 100% Since 1999 og:description: The research comes after a summer of scorching temperatures and heat waves in the U.S. og:url: https://time.com/7014972/heat-related-deaths-increased-research/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta80bebb2b933aac1/698a5a480116828ebf9862a1/Heat-Related-Deaths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2081 og:image:height: 1171 og:image:alt: Sun, Climate change, Heatwave hot sun, Global warming from the sun, and burning og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Heat-Related Deaths Have Increased More than 100% Since 1999 twitter:description: The research comes after a summer of scorching temperatures and heat waves in the U.S. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta80bebb2b933aac1/698a5a480116828ebf9862a1/Heat-Related-Deaths.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Heat-Related Deaths Have Increased More than 100% in the Past Two Decades > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Heat Makes Outdoor Work Dangerous [Watch (HLS stream): Heat Makes Outdoor Work Dangerous](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/LmebsmXB.m3u8) (7:17)  _Published 2023-08-02. As scorching temperatures broke new records for the planet this summer, outdoor workers are increasingly vulnerable. In the U.S., there is no federal protections for heat and labor._ by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Aug 26, 2024 8:17 PM UTC  New research found that there were a total of 21,518 heat-related deaths between 1999-2023. New research found that there were a total of 21,518 heat-related deaths between 1999-2023. Getty Images by [Chantelle Lee](https://time.com/author/chantelle-lee/) ## Chantelle Lee Reporter Aug 26, 2024 8:17 PM UTC The number of heat-related deaths in the U.S. increased 117% between 1999 and 2023, according to new research. The research comes after a [summer of scorching temperatures and heat waves](https://time.com/6299072/what-to-know-about-heat-domes-and-how-long-they-last/) in the U.S. Research published in the [_Journal of the American Medical Association_](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2822854?resultClick=1) on Monday found that the number of annual heat-related deaths jumped from 1,069 in 1999 to 2,325 in 2023\. In total, there were 21,518 heat-related deaths in that 24-year period. In the last seven years alone, researchers found a sharp increase in heat-related deaths, coinciding with record-breaking high temperatures. Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on all heat-related deaths recorded in the country from 1999-2023\. The number of deaths fluctuated year-to-year, but researchers found that heat-related deaths increased by 16.8% per year from 2016-2023. ## More from TIME “As temperatures continue to rise because of climate change, the recent increasing trend is likely to continue,” the researchers said in their analysis. Researchers acknowledged that the number of deaths could be even higher, if causes of death were misclassified on death certificates. This summer has seen several heat waves—the Midwest and East Coast were hit by a [heat dome](https://time.com/6990000/heat-wave-safety/) in June, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees; and officials in California sent out [alerts](https://time.com/6994929/what-states-heat-alerts-july-4/) ahead of the Fourth of July long weekend, warning tens of millions of Americans of high temperatures. This past July was the warmest July on record for the globe in 175 years, according to the [U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/monthly-report/global/202407). And 2023 was the [hottest year on record](https://time.com/6554830/2023-hottest-year-ever/). Amid growing concern over the effects of climate change, climate experts and meteorologists have warned the public about the [dangers of heat waves](https://time.com/6990000/heat-wave-safety/). Research has also shown that climate change can make extreme weather events—like hurricanes and wildfires—[more intense and more frequent](https://time.com/6994715/hurricane-beryl-extreme-weather-climate-change/). Another heat wave is expected to [hit the Midwest](https://www.axios.com/2024/08/26/dangerous-heat-wave-midwest-chicago) this week, with temperatures reaching between 105-115 degrees. ## Transcript I hope your week is starting off right. It is a warm start. We also have a lot of haze in the sky for today. In July time and Georgia Public Broadcasting teamed up to report on the impact of heat on outdoor workers. We spent a day following Berkeley Wimpey on his nearly ten hour shift delivering packages for U.P.S.. Man, it's hot back here. I'm pairing the module with the phone right now. And now we're going to put it on you. Before Wimpy started his route, we put a special patch on him which took readings of his skin temperature and motion throughout the day. That's going to connect to the patch. Wow. Yeah, certainly. We knew it would be hot like the rest of the state. Summer is pretty much always hot in places like Rome, Georgia. And climatologists had warned us that the summer of 2023 was going to be scorching. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued an El Nino watch. But even still, we were all caught a bit off guard by the severity of this year's heat waves, brutal heat wave, triple digit high temperatures, the hottest days ever recorded on Earth. And people who work outside are especially vulnerable. The heat is very hot already. It's not even close to lunchtime yet. And I'm not sure exactly what the heat index is, but it's got to be already in the nineties. In fact, the day was actually cooler than forecast in this part of Georgia, in part because the sun was diffused by haze from Canadian wildfires in itself, another reminder of the warming climate. We're already poor in sweat. I've been through three or four things of water already today. We kept track of the heat and humidity during one shift using a wet bulb. Globe Temperature Thermometer 70. Three 974. This measurement gives the most accurate sense of how the weather feels. Wet bulb globe temperatures of 82 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit might not sound so high, but they are dangerous. Experts say that at those levels, workers should take a cool down break every 30 minutes. Humidity can be particularly dangerous because it inhibits the evaporation of sweat from the skin, which is our bodies. Best way to cool down. I say what? The ice way too hot. Be like last year, about about this time of the year it was very hot. Like it's going to turn out to be the day I got very sick because the heat I had a heat stroke. I get this headache and I don't have migraines. I don't really get headaches, but I have. What if I were to guess would be a terrible migraine? I mean, it was awful. I couldn't couldn't wear my sunglasses. It hurt my eyes, couldn't take them off. The sun hurt me. I wasn't sweating at all, but I was starting to get cold. Chills. I started off the day with a full charge and by lunchtime my battery was on and I wasn't talking right. When computing was making any sense, I wound up going to the hospital and apparently and I didn't know that this could even be a thing. And I was now seen it since then with several other drivers. Unfortunately, your kidneys begin to shut. If not treated properly. Heat stress can lead to cramps, dizzy spells and fainting or even heat stroke. And long term heat exposure can lead to kidney failure. We learned from the skin patch readings that at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. when the skin temperature reached what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration considers the extreme caution zone. Within this range, people are more susceptible to sunstroke, muscle cramps and heat exhaustion. In the U.S., there's no federal OSHA standard for protecting workers from the heat. California. Oregon. Washington and Colorado do have laws around heat and labor, but in most states, it's up to individual employers. Some 50 million American workers are vulnerable because they work outside. Official records show about 40 worker deaths from the Heat each year, but the actual number is likely much higher. Public Citizen, a consumer rights advocacy group, says that heat is one of the three main causes of death and injury in the American workplace. The driver nearly collapsing while trying to do his job in late July. Texas Congressman Greg Casar led a protest at the U.S. Capitol calling for OSHA to adopt federal heat standards as soon as possible. We remember those. We've lost. We respect one another and we hope and demands much better. Two days later, President Biden announced the administration is committed to creating protections for outside workers. Number one weather related killer is heat. We should be protecting workers from hazardous conditions, and we will. And those states where they do not. I'm going to be calling them out. Some business owners are against federal regulations. But heat is increasingly at the center of labor issues in the U.S., including during this summer's tense negotiations between UPS and its drivers. UPS trucks are not currently air conditioned, but the company has agreed that new vehicles will have a seat beginning in 2024. But workers say they also need more brakes to help their bodies cope on hot days. I'm feeling tired. It's hot and it's I it's only Monday. I got four more days of this after today to go. It's not the hottest it's going to be this summer. At this point in the day. Our wet bulb globe temperature readings showed it was 88.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Once temperatures reach over 80 degrees with high humidity, it's already dangerous to work as the temperature climbs above 90 degrees in those same conditions, Experts say humans reach the limit of what they can tolerate without long, consistent breaks. And. Wendy told us he'd already heard about another colleague who'd had trouble with the heat that same day. He came in to work today, only to have a supervisor have to go out there and assist him getting done with their out today because he was suffering from the heat. Once you go through that, the heat stroke spell, your body is never the same when it comes to he hates hard on you. The summer of 2023 has set new heat records for the planet and raised alarm bells around general human safety and scientists say there is every expectation that next year will be even hotter. It's been very difficult for me. 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