Last week’s heat wave was deadly for four people in the Chicago area.
The Cook County Medical Examiner has ruled heat stress played a role in the deaths of three people in Chicago and one man in Evanston.
44-year-old David Gonzalez died on July 4th from heat stroke complicated by hypertension, diabetes and obesity, according to the office.
Autopsies showed heat stress was a contributing factor in the deaths of 57-year-old Mike Rodriguez and 71-year-old Barbara Whigham, as well as cardiovascular disease.
The ME ruled a 69-year-old man from Evanston also died from cardiovascular disease and heat stress.
Public health experts warn about the cumulative effects of extreme heat, especially for people with chronic conditions.
Since Chicago saw one of the country’s deadliest heat waves in 1995, the city opened its Office of Emergency Management and Communications to coordinate responses, opened cooling centers and set up a system for well-being checks.
Of the 739 people who died in those mid-July temperatures that felt as high as 120 degrees, many were elderly, isolated at home or had pre-existing health problems.
