Heat, Dust, and People

The ADAPTE project uses GIS to map the interaction between air pollution and extreme weather (heat and cold waves) to identify health risks in Latin American cities. Findings indicate that PM10 and NOx levels in Mexico City, Santiago, and Bogota significantly exceed WHO standards. The project identifies varying relative risks (RR) for respiratory and cardiovascular mortality based on season and age group, such as higher respiratory risk for children in Bogota during the cold season.

• Air pollution levels in Mexico City, Santiago, and Bogota significantly exceed World Health Organization (WHO) standards, with fine dust particles (PM10) exceeding standards by 90% and nitrous oxides (NOx) exceeding them by 73%, 38%, and 25% respectively.
• The relative risk (RR) for respiratory mortality varies by city and season: the highest risks during the warm season were in Buenos Aires (RR: 1.03) and Mexico City (RR: 1.00), while children in Bogota showed a higher respiratory RR during the cold season (RR: 1.20).
• Cardiovascular mortality relative risks were highest in Mexico City and Buenos Aires (RR: 1.01) during the warm season, whereas in Bogota, the risk was higher for the elderly during the cold season (RR: 1.00).
• In Bogota, the distribution of respiratory and cardiovascular mortality does not align with the north-south gradient of education and wealth, suggesting that age characteristics play a role in the relationship.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2010). Heat, Dust, and People. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot6_heat_dust_and_people_EN.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Heat, Dust, and People. 2010. https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot6_heat_dust_and_people_EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Heat, Dust, and People |date=2010 |url=https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot6_heat_dust_and_people_EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2010heat, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Heat, Dust, and People}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, url = {https://iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/2014/06/snapshot6_heat_dust_and_people_EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }