A new study suggests that sharp temperature swings may be tied to more than just discomfort. Researchers now say those extremes may also raise the risk of fatal overdoses, according to ScienceDirect.
Looking at both unusually hot and unusually cold days, the researchers found increases in overdose deaths, adding overdose risk to the list of health threats linked to extreme weather.
Here's what to know
Using county-level weather records together with overdose death data from 1999 through 2021, the study in the peer-reviewed journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence examined whether deaths rose when temperatures for a given county and month were far above or below normal.
The effect was small but measurable. The researchers found that days above 90 degrees Fahrenheit were linked to a 0.2% increase in overdoses compared with days in the 70-to-80-degree range, and unusually cold temperatures were associated with a similar rise.
The scientists found that these increases in overdose deaths were driven by opioids in very cold weather and stimulants in very warm weather.
Extreme temperatures contributed to 1,431 of the roughly 107,000 fatal overdoses recorded in 2021, or about 1% of the yearly total.
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Lead author Thanh Lu, a research economist at RTI International, told Eos that fatal overdoses are "something we need to pay attention to in the future" as extreme temperature events affect more people.
More background
Researchers said one possible reason for these findings is that substances can interfere with the body's ability to regulate itself in extreme heat or cold, worsening problems such as an altered heart rate or impaired breathing.
They also said extreme temperatures can disrupt work and income, both of which are tied to overdose risk. Those risks can be especially severe for people who already face barriers to safety and care, including housing instability and limited access to health services.
Increasing unhoused people's access to cooling and warming centers could potentially reduce these overdose deaths, as could boosting naloxone supplies when dangerous temperatures are in the forecast.
The findings also suggest that overdose prevention planning should consider extreme cold as a risk factor, similar to that of extreme heat.
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