FIVE AT 535 ON YOUR HEALTH TONIGHT. PROTECTING YOUR FAMILY FROM HOT TEMPERATURES THIS SUMMER. THERE’S NOW A NEW NATIONAL TOOL TO HELP YOU MEASURE THE RISK. HERE TO EXPLAIN IS DOCTOR ALI RAJA, DEPUTY CHAIR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE AT MASS GENERAL HOSPITAL. GOOD TO SEE YOU, DOCTOR. YOU TOO. JESSICA. ALL RIGHT. DOCTOR. ROGER. MORE THAN TWO THIRDS OF ALL AMERICANS WERE UNDER HEAT ALERTS LAST YEAR. CERTAINLY. WE’VE HAD SOME HOT DAYS, EVEN HERE IN NEW ENGLAND. SO WHAT’S THE IMPACT ON YOUR AIR? IT’S PRETTY SIGNIFICANT. BEN. SO BETWEEN MAY AND SEPTEMBER, WE DEFINITELY SEE MORE HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES AND OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR. BUT IT’S NOT JUST US. LIKE YOU SAID, IT’S IT’S A GROWING TREND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO JUST THIS PAST WEEK, THE CDC PUBLISHED DATA THAT SHOWED THAT THE INCIDENCE OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESS SEEN IN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS HAS BEEN GOING UP EACH OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS. SO WHILE IT’S WORST IN THE SOUTH, IT’S SOMETHING WE’RE SEEING ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE KNOW THE CDC SAYS HEAT RELATED DEATHS AND ILLNESSES, OF COURSE, ARE PREVENTABLE. SO HOW WOULD THIS NEW TOOL HELP WITH THAT? IT’S ACTUALLY REALLY POTENTIALLY USEFUL. JESSICA AS PLAYING AROUND WITH IT TODAY. IT’S CALLED THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEAT RISK TOOL, AND YOU CAN EASILY FIND IT ONLINE. SO YOU CAN LOOK AT THE UPCOMING WEEK AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THE HEAT MIGHT BE, AND YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR ACTIVITIES ACCORDINGLY. SO IF IF YOU’VE GOT IF YOU’RE AN OLDER ADULT, IF YOU’VE GOT ASTHMA OR KIDNEY OR HEART DISEASE, YOU’RE PREGNANT, YOU CAN LOOK AT IT AND PLAN OUT WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO DO OVER THE NEXT WEEK. AND MAYBE CHANGE THINGS IF IT’S GOING TO BE TOO HOT. SO, AS YOU KNOW, DOCTOR ROGER, A LOT OF THE HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND DON’T HAVE AIR CONDITIONING. SO IN YOUR OPINION, IS THAT BECOMING A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM? I THINK IT IS. BEN. YOU KNOW, THESE HIGHER TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY HERE TO STAY. AND AND SO THE SUMMER HEAT IS GOING TO POTENTIALLY BE MORE DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING. AND THAT’S ALREADY THE PEOPLE AMONGST US WHO ARE MOST VULNERABLE IN TERMS OF HEALTH RISKS. SO WE’RE ALL GOING TO HAVE TO COME TOGETHER ON THIS, WHETHER IT’S THE CITY SETTING UP COOLING CENTERS AND MORE GREEN SPACE OR INDIVIDUALLY, US TAKING SMALL STEPS LIKE INVITING YOUR OLDER NEIGHBOR OVER WHEN IT’S REALLY HOT OUT NOW THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, THIS IS BECOMING A PUBLIC HEALTH RISK. ALL OF US ARE GOING TO HAVE TO PITCH IN TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. THIS IS GOOD INFORMATION TO GET AHEAD OF IT BEFORE WE GET A HEAT WAVE COMING. ALL RIGHT, DOCTOR ALI