¡Salud y Saludos!

The Heat is On!

It represents more than just a song from the 80s these days. As I sit and write this, forecasters are telling us to brace for temperatures--not heat indexes!--of triple digits in the next two days. And all the days leading up to these extreme temperatures haven’t been much better...with daytime highs well into the mid to upper 90s.

Heat is one of my worst enemies. I hate it (I wouldn’t get much of a reprieve from it even in the winter, growing up in Miami). But I’m lucky in that my situation makes it far easier to cope with the high temperatures: I lie down in an air conditioned home, drive in an air conditioned automobile, and can count on air conditioning for the better part of my work day.

Such is not the case for many Hispanic workers across the state. With more than 100,000 mostly Latino farm workers working the fields in North Carolina, and with tens of thousands of others working in outdoor jobs such as in construction sites or with road repair crews, it may be surprising there aren’t more accidents involving the bad weather. But accidents do happen. Just two weeks ago, a Latino farm worker in Harnett County died reportedly from the effects of the severe heat. Unfortunately, DHHS employees who work closely with the farm worker community say this happens on average once every year. In fact, nationwide, more than 8,000 people died as a direct consequence of heat between 1979 and 1999. And each year, children are accidentally left in locked cars that later die from the heat exposure. Their temperatures can exceed 105ºF after several minutes in this sort of environment.

First comes the heat exhaustion, which is characterized by heavy sweating, weakness, and sometimes faintness. If not properly treated, this condition can lead to the more serious and potentially deadly heat stroke. This illness causes extremely high body temperature, hot and dry skin, a rapid strong pulse, confusion, and unconsciousness. If not treated immediately, a person suffering from heat stroke may die. And this all is a consequence of overexertion in extreme temperatures without drinking plenty of liquids in the process.

One simple answer to preventing all these problems is to stay indoors and close to an air conditioner. But as mentioned before, this isn’t always an option. For those who don’t have this luxury, keeping yourself well hydrated is crucial. Wearing light clothing, working in the shade as much as possible, and pacing yourself are all common-sense precautions.

It seems like we’ve been talking a lot about all the different things to keep in mind during the popular summer months when people take to the outdoors and make the most of the climate. But there are a host of things to keep in mind as you enjoy those outdoor concerts and festivals, or if you should find yourself in the lamentable position of having to work outdoors for any extended period of time. Don’t forget the mosquito repellent, sun block, and sunglasses and the hats, and perhaps most important of all – the non-caffeinated/non-alcoholic source of hydration. If all this is too much to keep tabs on, then do like I do and just stay hibernated as much as possible under an air conditioning vent until autumn rolls around. Believe it or not, we’re less than two months away!

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Last Modified: June 29, 2005 July 29, 2005