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Independence, MO —
Summer heat is more than a hassle. It can be deadly.
And the risk factors, which can include age, overall health, overexertion and even social isolation, aren’t always straightforward. Much of the risk comes down to how well you take care of yourself when conditions grow brutal.
“It’s all about who you are, what you’re doing, and what you’re putting in your body,” says Bill Snook of the Kansas City Health Department and coordinator of the metro health system’s response to heat issues.
What officials recommend most strongly is plenty of water. Anything with caffeine, alcohol or sugar puts an added burden on the body. Even sports drinks, which can be appropriate under certain circumstances by replacing electrolytes lost because of excess exertion, have lots of sugar.
“Water is going to be what your body needs,” Snook said.
In addition, authorities urge staying inside where it’s air-conditioned – get to a cooling center if you have to – and doing any outdoor work during the cooler parts of the day.
Still, the heat can worsen underlying health factors that in combination can take a deadly toll.
“It’s usually a multiple of factors” that leads to death, Snook said.
Of those 21 deaths in 2011, eight victims had heart disease, nine had a mental impairment such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, nine lived alone – and nine were found in front of a fan.
That points to another problem: When it’s excessively hot and humid, a fan can actually worsen the problem. The human body cools itself by perspiring, and heat leaves as perspiration evaporates in relatively dry air.
“Fans are good up to a point,” Snook says, but if the air gets too hot and too humid, and that’s what the fan is blowing on your body “you’ve basically created a convection oven.”
Officials say even getting into the air-conditioning for a couple of hours can make a big difference.
The National Weather Service posted a heat advisory on Sunday as temperatures were expected to reach around 100 (it was 98 at KCI). Snook is more concerned about several consecutive days of heat and humidity that prompt excessive heat warnings.
“We know they’re coming,” he says.
The Weather Service has guidelines for those – a heat index of 110 for two days or 105 for four or more days – but forecasters also talk with people such as Snook before making the call.
Summer heat is more than a hassle. It can be deadly.
And the risk factors, which can include age, overall health, overexertion and even social isolation, aren’t always straightforward. Much of the risk comes down to how well you take care of yourself when conditions grow brutal.
“It’s all about who you are, what you’re doing, and what you’re putting in your body,” says Bill Snook of the Kansas City Health Department and coordinator of the metro health system’s response to heat issues.
What officials recommend most strongly is plenty of water. Anything with caffeine, alcohol or sugar puts an added burden on the body. Even sports drinks, which can be appropriate under certain circumstances by replacing electrolytes lost because of excess exertion, have lots of sugar.
“Water is going to be what your body needs,” Snook said.
In addition, authorities urge staying inside where it’s air-conditioned – get to a cooling center if you have to – and doing any outdoor work during the cooler parts of the day.
Still, the heat can worsen underlying health factors that in combination can take a deadly toll.
“It’s usually a multiple of factors” that leads to death, Snook said.
Of those 21 deaths in 2011, eight victims had heart disease, nine had a mental impairment such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, nine lived alone – and nine were found in front of a fan.
That points to another problem: When it’s excessively hot and humid, a fan can actually worsen the problem. The human body cools itself by perspiring, and heat leaves as perspiration evaporates in relatively dry air.
“Fans are good up to a point,” Snook says, but if the air gets too hot and too humid, and that’s what the fan is blowing on your body “you’ve basically created a convection oven.”
Officials say even getting into the air-conditioning for a couple of hours can make a big difference.
The National Weather Service posted a heat advisory on Sunday as temperatures were expected to reach around 100 (it was 98 at KCI). Snook is more concerned about several consecutive days of heat and humidity that prompt excessive heat warnings.
“We know they’re coming,” he says.
The Weather Service has guidelines for those – a heat index of 110 for two days or 105 for four or more days – but forecasters also talk with people such as Snook before making the call.
“So they’re actually looking at the impact on people,” he said.
So as another week of high temperatures bears down on the metro area – it looks like 100 Wednesday and Thursday, then 98 Friday – officials warn people to take care.
Also, the Mid-America Regional Council tracks air quality concerns, specifically ground-level ozone, or smog, which can cause a range of breathing problems, especially for the young and those with conditions such as asthma. In warm weather months, MARC posts a daily air quality index – green, yellow, orange or red – to let people know when there’s a potential problem. Monday’s orange rating was the third of the year. There hasn’t been a red alert in Kansas City for several years. Today’s rating is a yellow.
The advice for residents regarding heat advisories and air-quality warnings is overlapping:
• Stay inside, where it’s air conditioned or at least well ventilated. If outside, try to stay in the shade. Wear light, loose-fitting and light-colored clothing.
• Drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol, caffeine and sugary drinks.
• Drive less, carpool and take public transportation. Rides on The Metro bus system are reduced to 75 cents on ozone alert days.
• Check on friends, family and neighbors who might be susceptible to the heat.
• Make sure any outdoor pets have shade and plenty of fresh water.
• If you must work outdoors, try to do it before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Take frequent breaks. Drink plenty of water.
• Know the signs of heat exhaustion, which is usually caused by a loss of bodily fluids due to excessive perspiration. Signs include cool, moist, pale or flushed skin, headache, heavy perspiration, nausea, dizziness, weakness and exhaustion. “You need to get to a cool place pretty quick,” says Snook. Loosen the victim’s clothing, and apply moist towels or other moist cloths. Give small amounts of water – slowly. If the person refuses water, vomits or passes out, call 911.
• Know the signs of heat stroke (also called sun stroke) – and recognize that it can be fatal. It means the body has lost its ability to regulate temperature. The skin is hot or red. Body temperature is high, the person vomits, and there can be varying levels of consciousness. Get the person to a cool place, treat the same as with heat exhaustion, and call 911.
• If you do work outdoors, avoid using lawnmowers and other gas-powered machinery. The fumes they put out contribute to air quality concerns. Authorities ask that the lawn mowing be postponed until there is no air quality alert. The color-coded rating is usually posted around 3 p.m. for the next day. Go to www.marc.org/
• Avoid filling your car with gas until at least sundown. The fumes released when fueling a vehicle mix with sunlight to create ozone.
As it happens, Sunday was the beginning of National Summer Weather Safety Week, which officials use to highlight the dangers of lightning, flash flooding and extreme heat. Nationwide, more than 200 people a year die from heat-related causes. In Missouri alone, about 30 people a year died from 1980 through 2010.
Officials remind urban and suburban residents that large cities create “heat islands.” All of the buildings, streets and tar roofs collect heat during the day and release that heat at night, making urban areas several degrees warmer than rural areas at times. That in turn gives the air temperature a running start toward excessive highs the next day.
National Weather Service, Pleasant Hill: www.weather.gov/pleasanthill
Mid-America Regional Council: www.marc.org
