Monday, March 17, 2025

Burden of cardiovascular disease caused by extreme heat in Australia to more than double by 2050

European Society of Cardiology

Hot weather is responsible for an average of almost 50,000 years of healthy life lost to cardiovascular disease every year among people in Australia, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Monday). This equates to around 7.3% of the total burden due to illness and death from cardiovascular disease.

The study also suggests that this figure could double, or even triple, by the middle of the century, if we continue with the current trend of greenhouse gas emissions.

The authors of the study note that since the risk of cardiovascular disease increases with higher temperatures, their findings are also relevant to people around the world.

The research was led by Peng Bi, Professor of Public Health and Environmental Medicine at the University of Adelaide, Australia. He said: “When the weather is hot, our hearts have to work harder to help us cool down. This added pressure can be dangerous, especially for people with cardiovascular disease.

“Many of us have experienced how a warming climate can make us feel unwell, particularly during longer periods of extreme heat. However, it’s still not clear exactly how many people are living with serious heart disease or dying early because of higher temperatures, and we need to understand how this burden will increase in the future.”

The researchers used a measure, called disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which quantifies the number of years of healthy life lost through either illness or death.

To calculate the current impact of high temperatures, the researchers used data from the Australian Burden of Disease Database on illness or death caused by cardiovascular disease between 2003 and 2018. Then they used a statistical model to calculate how much cardiovascular disease or death can be attributed to hot weather in different parts of Australia and the country as a whole.

This showed that there was an average of 49,483 years of healthy life lost annually to cardiovascular disease caused by hot weather. Most of these years were lost due to death, rather than illness.

The researchers then used their model to look at the likely impact of climate change driven by greenhouse gas emissions in the future. They used two of the climate change scenarios outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: a scenario where emissions stabilise (Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 or RCP4.5) and a scenario with continually rising emissions (RCP8.5).

They also looked at the impact of population growth and how people might adapt to cope with higher temperatures.

The model shows that by 2030, the number of DALYs lost due to cardiovascular disease caused by hot weather will increase by 83.5%, reaching 90,779.7 DALYs, under the RCP4.5 scenario. By 2050, this number is expected to rise further to 139,828.9 DALYs, a 182.6% increase. Under the more severe RCP8.5 scenario, the DALYs are projected to increase by 92.7% to 95,343.0 DALYs in 2030 and by 225.6% to 161,095.1 in 2050.

Professor Bi said: “This study combines several key factors – climate change, population shifts, and adaptation strategies – to give a full picture of the disease burden across Australia. This makes our study one of the first of its kind globally. Predicting future disease burden always comes with some uncertainty, and our models rely on assumptions that may not capture every real-life detail. However, despite these uncertainties, the comprehensive nature of our approach makes the study especially valuable for planning future climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.

“Although our study is focused on Australia, the fundamental link between higher temperatures and increased cardiovascular risk has been documented globally. While the specific risks may vary depending on local climates, population demographics and levels of adaptation, the overall trend – that higher temperatures lead to more cardiovascular disease burden – is likely relevant in many parts of the world.”

The model also shows that it would be possible to drastically lower the impact of high temperature on cardiovascular disease with strategies that help people adapt to hotter weather.

Professor Bi adds: “Our research shows that as climate change brings more frequent and intense heat, the risks associated with higher temperatures are likely to increase, especially for vulnerable groups. It highlights the importance of taking precautions during hot weather, such as staying hydrated, finding cool environments and seeking medical help when needed.

“Our findings also call for urgent investment in adaptation and mitigation strategies, including urban cooling plans, public health campaigns and improved emergency responses during hot weather.”

Journal

European Heart Journal

DOI

10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf117

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

High temperature and cardiovascular disease in Australia under different climatic, demographic, and adaptive scenarios

Article Publication Date

17-Mar-2025

A breakthrough in green hydrogen peroxide production: KIST develops carbon catalyst utilizing airborne oxygen

Mesopore introduction enables world-class hydrogen peroxide production characteristics even in low oxygen air supply environments

National Research Council of Science & Technology

[Figure 1] Boron-doped mesoporous carbon catalyst structure — image:
(Left) Schematic representation of the structure of a porous carbon catalyst with boron doping on the surface and carbon walls forming the mesopores.
(Right) Mesopore structure and atomic-scale distribution of boron in the carbon catalyst measured using transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.
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Credit: Korea Institute of Science and Technology

Hydrogen peroxide is one of the world's top 100 industrial chemicals with a wide range of applications in the chemical, medical, and semiconductor industries. Currently, hydrogen peroxide is mainly produced through the anthraquinone process, but this process has several problems, including high energy consumption, the use of expensive palladium catalysts, and environmental pollution due to by-products. In recent years, an environmentally friendly method of producing hydrogen peroxide by electrochemical reduction of oxygen using inexpensive carbon catalysts has gained attention. However, this method has been limited by the high cost of injecting high-purity oxygen gas and the practical limitations that the generated hydrogen peroxide is mainly produced in an unstable basic electrolyte environment.

To overcome this limitation, a team of researchers led by Dr. Jong Min Kim, Center for Extreme Materials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Dr. Sang-rok Oh, Center for Computational Science, Dr. Sang Soo Han, Center for Computational Science, Prof. Kwang-hyung Lee, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Dr. Joonhee Moon, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), developed a highly efficient mesoporous catalyst that can effectively produce hydrogen peroxide even in air supply environments with low oxygen concentrations and neutral electrolytes by introducing mesopores into the carbon catalyst.

The team synthesized boron-doped carbon with mesopores of about 20 nanometers (nm) by reacting the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO₂), the potent reducing agent sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), and meso-sized calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) particles, followed by selective removal of the calcium carbonate particles. Using it as a catalyst for electrochemical hydrogen peroxide production, experiments and calculations have shown that the curved surface characteristics formed by the mesopores provide excellent catalytic activity even in neutral electrolyte environments, where hydrogen peroxide production reactions are difficult. Furthermore, real-time Raman analysis has confirmed that the mesoporous structure facilitates the smooth transfer of oxygen as a reactant, allowing high catalytic activity to be maintained even in air environments with an oxygen concentration of only about 20%.

Based on these findings, the team demonstrated that boron-doped mesoporous carbon catalysts, when applied to a hydrogen peroxide mass production reactor, can achieve world-class hydrogen peroxide production efficiencies of more than 80% under near-commercial conditions of neutral electrolyte and air supply and industrial-scale current density (200 mA/cm²). In particular, the team succeeded in producing hydrogen peroxide solutions with a concentration of 3.6%, which exceeds the medical hydrogen peroxide concentration (3%), suggesting the possibility of commercialization.

"The mesoporous carbon catalyst technology, which utilizes oxygen from the air we breathe to produce hydrogen peroxide from a neutral electrolyte, is more practical than conventional catalysts and will speed up industrialization," said Dr. Jong Min Kim of KIST.

(Left) Schematic diagrams of the catalytic reaction process for planar doped structures and doped structures bent by mesopores.
(Right) Comparison of activity for hydrogen peroxide generation reaction in neutral electrolyte according to doping morphology.

(Left) Schematic representation of an air-harnessed hydrogen peroxide production electrode structure using a boron-doped mesoporous carbon catalyst.
(Right) Performance comparison table of the developed catalyst with conventional catalysts measured in neutral electrolyte and atmospheric environment.

Korea Institute of Science and Technology

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KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research. For more information, please visit KIST’s website at https://www.kist.re.kr/eng/index.do

This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Yoo Sang-im) through the KIST Major Project and Excellent New Research Project (2N74120), Nanomaterial Technology Development Project (2N76070), and Leading Research Center Support Project (NRF-2022R1A5A1033719). The findings are published in the latest issue of the international journal Advanced Materials (IF 27.4, JCR field 1.94%).