by Emery Jeffreys
Online Editor
Sizzling summer temperatures in Florida and fear of high utility bills can be a deadly combination, according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Each year more people in the United States die from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Between 1979-1998, more than 7,400 deaths in the United States were attributed to excessive heat exposure. About 300 people die each year from exposure to heat.
This year extreme heat is a problem because of energy shortages facing many areas of the country. In Florida, air conditioning is the number-one protective factor against heat-related illness and death.
Brownouts lasting a few hours will likely have little effect on people’s health. However, some people may be fearful of high utility bills and limit their use of air conditioning.
Limiting protection from the heat can place people who are already at risk for heat illness at increased risk. You can help by learning the warning signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and then checking on your neighbors frequently.
People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and properly cool themselves. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn't enough. In such cases, a person's body temperature rises rapidly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs.
When both the temperature and relative humidity rise, it can seem even hotter. See the heat index chart to understand the impact of heat on your body.
Several factors affect the body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather. When the humidity is high, sweat will not evaporate as quickly, preventing the body from releasing heat quickly. Other conditions that can limit the ability to regulate temperature include old age, youth (age 0-4), obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, prescription drug and alcohol use.
Summertime activity, whether on the playing field or the construction site, must be balanced with measures that aid the body's cooling mechanisms and prevent heat-related illness.
The best defense is prevention. Here are some prevention tips:
• Drink more fluids, regardless of your activity level. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. Warning: If your doctor generally limits the amount of fluid you drink or has you on water pills, ask your physician how much you should drink while the weather is hot.
• Don’t drink liquids that contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar–these actually cause you to lose more body fluid. Also, avoid very cold drinks, because they can cause stomach cramps. |
• Stay indoors, and if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.
• Electric fans may provide comfort, but when the temperature is in the high 90s, fans will not prevent heat-related illness. Taking a cool shower or bath, or moving to an air-conditioned place is a much better way to cool off. |
If you must be out in the heat:
• Limit outdoor activity to morning and evening hours.
• Cut down on exercise. If you must exercise, drink two to four glasses of cool, nonalcoholic fluids each hour. A sports beverage can replace the salt and minerals you lose in sweat. Warning: If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor before drinking a sports beverage. Remember the warning in the first “tip,” too.
• Rest often in shady areas. |
• Protect yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat (also keeps you cooler) and sunglasses, and by putting on sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher. The most effective sunscreen products say “broad spectrum” or “UVA/UVB protection” on their labels.
• Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
• NEVER leave people or pets in a closed, parked vehicle. |
Anyone at any time can suffer from heat-related illness. Some people are at greater risk than others. Check regularly on:
• Infants and young children
• People 65 or older
• People who have a mental illness
• Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure
Visit adults at risk at least twice a day and closely watch them for signs of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Infants and young children, of course, need much more frequent watching.
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