Montana News
The number of heat-related deaths in Montana has likely gone undercounted
A mid Montana's recent heat wave, health officials warned of its danger and the importance of staying cool. But now that temperatures are dropping, the impacts of heat are unclear. Montana Public Radio's Erin Bolton dug into heat deaths in recent years and explains why they're hard to track. Over the past five years, the Montana State Health Department recorded nine heat-related deaths. That data is pulled from death certificates filled out by doctors and county officials. Those numbers are likely in undercount, says University of Washington professor Jeremy Hess. He kills people in lots of different ways. Most heat-related deaths aren't from heat stroke. People typically die when heat makes a pre-existing condition worse. Cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, renal disease, etc. If someone dies in a hospital from kidney disease, their doctor needs to think about whether heat potentially caused that person's condition to worsen. Hess says in places like the Northwest, which hasn't historically struggled with heat, people may not be thinking about that connection. He says states definitions of what constitutes a heat-related death can be narrow. Some places like Arizona are broadening what counts. So say someone is found dead in a third-story, un-air conditioned apartment. They appear to have died during a heat event. According to these newer definitions, that will be classified as the heat-related death. He says there is evidence that traditional death certificate figures are in undercount. Researchers have started comparing the total number of deaths during heat waves to historical averages. One study found that there are up to 1,300 more deaths nationally during heat events. Hess says getting a more accurate count puts the issue on the radar of policy makers that can do something to mitigate those deaths. In Columbia Falls, I'm Erin Bolton. This is MTPR.