Intense Heat Becoming a Hot Topic
Date: Aug. 2, 2002
By: Chris Curran
Phone: (513) 556-1806
Archive: General News
With today's heat advisory and temperatures predicted to remain at a dangerous level over the next few days, the following experts from the University of Cincinnati have some advice on how to cope with the heat:
The Psychological Impact of High Heat: Professor Joel Warm has studied the effect of heat on worker performance and found that high heat and humidity can increase the number of mistakes made on the job. He recommends that supervisors provide frequent breaks and lots of water to those working under high heat conditions, especially those working out in the sun. Heat can also make you more miserable on the job. "You work more slowly. You feel more fatigued. Whatever you're doing, it seems worse than it is," said Warm. And if you ever felt more short-tempered on a hot day, Warm said that's not surprising. Heat is just one of many factors which can add stress to our lives.
Taking Care of Yourself: The UC Wellness Center provides resources and promotes education about health issues to the university community. UC Wellness Center director Kirsten Lupinski says in the extreme heat, make sure to drink plenty of fluids. Stay away from caffeine. Instead, stick with water and juice. Stay out of the sun as much as possible and stay inside as much as possible with the air conditioner and the fan. Keep outdoor activity to a minimum.
Taking Care of Your Plants: Tom Smith, coordinator for UC's horticulture program and vice president of Spring Grove Cemetery, says watering is now crucial, even for the lawn. The heat can kill your turf, so it's a lot less expensive to set up a sprinkler and hike the water bill than to replace all or part of the turf on the lawn. The key to watering, Smith says, is with about a half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of water, which is about an hour of sprinkler time under Cincinnati's water pressure. "If you have a choice, early morning watering or watering late afternoon into the evening is preferred. Night-time watering is outstanding." Under our current conditions, Smith says concerns about disease and decay about night watering is not an issue. Additional mulching helps too this time of year. It slows down the loss of moisture and keeps water from running off.
On-the-Job Dangers for Firefighters: Patrick Reynolds, a 20-year veteran with the New York City Fire Department and head of the UC open learning fire science program, says firefighters are already stressed when they head out on an emergency with nearly 100 pounds of gear and equipment. When temperatures rise like this, the risk to their health goes well beyond the fire danger itself. "The body already starts to emit heat. Now, they put on their gear, and the garment becomes an insulator, so their core body temperature will rise. They go into the burning building and it rises again from exposure to heat and fire." Reynolds says that when the body overheats and cannot cool, it affects rational thinking, so the officer's job is to make sure firefighters are following procedure and not showing hints of anything out of the ordinary. Signs of trouble could be when the firefighter is told to move right and he or she turns left, or forgets to go into a crouch position entering a smoke-filled room.
Tips for Athletes and Exercising Outdoors: Assistant athletic direct Bill Walker says almost everyone realizes special risks exist for athletes working out in extreme heat. But parents and family members don't always know what role they can play in keeping young athletes safe. He advises parents to monitor their athletes' intake and output before and after workouts. In other words, are they drinking enough water and urinating regularly? A longer list of exercise safety advice for athletes from Walker can be found by clicking here.
An International Perspective: Business student Jose Cornejo is originally from Los Andes, a city of 80,000 that sits 3,200 feet up in the Chilean mountains where "it never gets above 85 degrees and, whether it's wet or dry, it's never humid like it is here. I've had some tough days already with your weather." Compounding Cornejo's heat stress is the fact that he's used to enduring winter temperatures at this time of year. While he's generally enjoying Cincinnati, he says "I just called home yesterday, and this week they told me it got down to 10-below one night. So you can see why I don't like this weather much at all."
Reading for Relief: UC English Professor Schiff recommends cooling off with a short story or book that can get your mind off the heat and thinking cool thoughts again. Schiff suggests Jack London stories that tend to focus on the brutal cold, such as "To Build a Fire," or the John Cheever short story, "The Swimmer," in which the main character tries to swim in all the pools in his county. He also suggests a book by mountain climber Jon Krakauer, "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster."
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