Facts About High Heat, Death and Injury

Heat waves kill. The 1995 Chicago heat wave killed almost 700 people and sent over 3,300 to the emergency room. The CDC Environmental Hazards and Health Effects Program gives us these 6 facts about how heat kills.
 

It’s not just the heat. Humidity plays a large role in heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Humans cool themselves by perspiring so that the air dries the moisture and, thus, cools us down. In high humidity, perspiration can’t do its job. When desert dwellers say, “it’s a dry heat”, they’re telling you why their high temperatures might be more bearable than a lower temperature in a humid climate.

Nighttime counts, too. We have a rhythm to our lives. We wake up; we sleep. And, there is a rhythm to our days and nights. At night, the sun goes down and the temperatures cool. When nighttime temperatures stay high, we don’t get that cooling during a heat wave, there is an increase in deaths.

What happens when we overheat? Think of your car’s temperature gauge. If your car gets overheated and you continue to drive, you’ve got a real problem. The same is true of your body. The first signs of heat exhaustion may be cramps and heat rash. The skin may become red and dry. If something isn’t done to cool the person, it may become heat stroke. Perspiration shuts down and body temperature increases rapidly. Mental confusion, vomiting, fainting and seizures are all signs of heat stroke. Medical attention should be sought immediately and efforts to cool the person by putting cool cloths on them, moving them to the shade, and removing any unnecessary clothing should start right away.