Teal MP Sophie Scamps scolded for suggesting rugby league player Keith Titmuss's death caused by climate change related factors
Dr Sophie Scamps, the independent member for the seat of Mackellar on Sydney's northern beaches has claimed that 'lethal humidity' could have been a contributing factor to the sudden passing of the rugby league prodigy.
Titmuss, aged 20, tragically died in November 2020 due to experiencing a severe seizure after a Manly Sea Eagles exercise session at the club's then training facility in Narrabeen.
He was rushed to hospital, where he suffered a cardiac arrest. Titmuss was set to make his NRL debut in 2021.
In vision obtained by The Australian, Mr Scamps stated at a Doctors for the Environment Australia conference in February that 'lethal humidity', a so-called climate change related phenomenon would become an increasingly prevalent issue.
Dr Scamps made the claim whilst discussing 'the death of the young man, the rugby league player" in an apparent reference to Titmuss.
The Teal MP's bizarre comments prompted a furious response from the players family, with Titmuss's mother Lafo accusing Dr Scamps of using her son's death to 'gain political points'.
"I'm disappointed that (Dr Scamps) is using my son's name to try and gain political points when all she needed to do was read Derek Lee's findings, which mention nothing about climate change,' Ms Lafo toldThe Australian.
Speaking separately to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ms Lafo reiterated 'The whole family are annoyed they are using Keithy's death for political gain".
Ms Lafo emphasised the family was outraged that Dr Scamps 'didn't look into the cause of Keithy's death', stating it had 'nothing to do with climate change'.
'If you're going to use someone's tragedy, they should take five minutes to review the findings and do some background research,' she said.
The findings of a coronial inquest into Titmuss's death in early 2024 revealed that the Sea Eagles player was suffering from 'exertional heat stroke' when he collapsed at training and later died.
Deputy State Coroner Derek Lee deduced that Manly's training session in the off-season heat was 'more likely than not inappropriate' and listed a number of contributing factors for Titmuss's heat stroke including a high body-mass index and lower aerobic abilities in comparison to his teammates.
Lee made no reference to 'lethal humidity' in his report.
Dr Scamps made the comments - in an apparent reference to Titmuss when pressed about the connection between climate change and health.
'One of the things that really struck me – we've got this thing called lethal humidity now,' she said.
'With every rise of one degree in temperature you have seven degrees increased per cent in humidity, so the death of that young man – and I'm not saying – the death of the young man the rugby league player when it was 33 degrees a very humid day, died from heat stress – you know, after a training session'.
'Apparently, the human body can survive up to 54 degrees Celsius – it's pretty hot. But, with high-level humidity, that level comes down to kind of 33, even 31 degrees, so it's something to consider' Ms Scamps outlined.
However, in his report, Mr Lee listed the maximum temperature far lower than that proposed by Dr Scamps, at less than 25 degrees.
'The temperature (measured at Terrey Hills) was 21.3°C at 9:00am and 21.6°C at 3:00pm, with a maximum temperature of 24.9°C. The relative humidity was at 92% at 9:00am, decreasing to 74% at 3:00pm,' the coroner's report concluded.
A spokeswoman for Dr Scamps on Tuesday again touted 'lethal humidity' when asked about her comments regarding Titmuss's death.
'Sophie and the entire Northern Beaches community are desperately sad for the Titmuss family after the terrible tragedy of Keith's death, which the Coroner's Court found was caused by exertional heat stroke,' a spokeswoman said.
'As a doctor and former elite athlete, Sophie takes the threat of lethal humidity extremely seriously. As parents, we do not want our kids to have to train and compete in conditions that put their health at risk'.
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