This month it's time for another common-sense topic; dealing with the hot sun, heat and humidity of a Metro St. Louis summer. As with our discussion of mosquitoes last month, I won't give you long lists of do's and don’ts. Still, it is important to know about the information that we as a public health department collect each summer relating to heat illness.
Heat illness occurs when the body loses its ability to regulate body temperature. Normally, the body can keep our temperatures in the neighborhood of the 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit that we are familiar with. In the summer that is a harder job and requires that we use common sense when out in the heat. You have heard these precautions many times but the most important ones are drink non-alcoholic drinks, rest periodically, stay out of the sun if you can and try to periodically cool off in an air conditioned area or in water (pool, bath, shower or garden hose for the kids). Sunscreen is also a must in order to avoid injury to the skin. Wearing lighter colored clothing also helps.
Hospitals and other health care providers in St. Charles County are required to report heat-related illnesses to the Department of Community Health and the Environment. We have far fewer reported heat-illnesses than the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. A lot of this is due to the age and type of residential housing in St. Charles County and the almost universal use of home air-conditioning.
Nonetheless we do receive a growing number of reports of heat-related illness when temperatures approach 100 degrees. In St. Charles County, the vast majority of those being seen at emergency rooms are:
- Residents of all ages "overdoing" outdoor recreational activities
- Residents overdoing working in the yard
- Individuals with occupations that require outside work, sometimes strenuous physical activity and sometimes working in jobs that are hot by their very nature (roofers, street pavers, etc.).
- Senior citizens who have not wanted to use air-conditioning even though it is available.
As you can see from the above list, in the majority of cases it probably would have been possible to avoid that trip to the emergency room. Resisting the temptation to cut just a little more lawn or taking a break from the softball game at the end of an inning might have been enough. In occupational situations employers must allow for the heat and employees must speak up when the breaks are not sufficient to deal with the summer heat wave.
Seniors are another case altogether. As we get older we lose some of our ability to sense overheating. Temperature that would be stifling to others doesn't seem overly hot. Seniors should be aware of this phenomenon and should watch the thermostat or other thermometer. All of us should also be willing to check on elderly relatives, friends and neighbors when we are in the middle of a heat wave. Checking and urging caution is an effective way to avoid the possibility of illness. Seniors are also more likely to die from excessive heat.
Since the deadly 1980 heat wave a group of public and private organizations have worked together to prevent illness and death related to extremes of heat and cold. This organization, Operation Weather Survival (OWS), continues to bring these private and public organization representatives together on a regular basis and distributes information to the media, organizations and individuals. OWS has also offered cooling site listings, air-conditioning assistance programs and telephone reassurance resources for at risk individuals. OWS is also responsible for coordinating the response to official heat alerts and warnings.
So, stay cool this summer. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that iced tea and ice cream cones were created at the St. Louis World's Fair as fairgoers and vendors tried to cope with a St. Louis Summer heat-wave!