Four Ways to Cool Down Heat Illness

"July is Extreme Heat Awareness Month. One of the biggest hazards at this time of year is overheating. Outdoor and indoor heat exposure may cause heat-related illnesses and can lead to preventable fatalities. This means that mine workers, from heavy equipment operators to blasting experts, working on surface mines or underground mines, are all at risk of heat-related illnesses.

High air temperatures, humidity and low wind combined with the heat produced from machinery will make it harder to cool down. Any heat stress illness or injury must be reported to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to meet 30 CFR Part 50.20 requirements. In 2022, 37 incidents of heat-related illness were reported to MSHA. In many of these situations, miners were dehydrated and felt dizzy and nauseous before receiving medical treatment at a hospital.

Heat illnesses or injuries happen when the body is not able to cool itself. While the body normally cools itself by sweating, during extreme heat, sweating may not be enough. When your body temperature rises to a point where it can’t cool down, it can lead to heat stroke, which is a life-threatening condition that needs immediate medical attention to prevent damage to your brain and vital organs.  

A miner may first feel symptoms like thirst and a heat rash. If your mind is focused on working, you may not be aware of your health condition until you are dizzy and then collapse. 

Heat-related injuries and fatalities are preventable. Here are four ways to keep cool when you are working in a hot environment:

• Hydrate. Drink before you feel thirsty. Being hydrated when you start work makes it easier to stay hydrated through the day.
• Rest. Take enough time to give your body time to cool.
• Find shade. Take breaks in a shady or cool area.
• Wear personal protective gear. Clothing should be loose fitting and “wick” wetness away from your body. Ice vests, cooling neck wraps, and wetted clothing are effective at lowering your body temperature when they can safely be worn while working.."
  Cool Down Heat Illness 

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather!

"Learn about heat-related illness and how to stay cool and safe in hot weather.

High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 700 people die from extreme heat every year in the United States.

Take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated, and keep informed. Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can’t compensate for it and properly cool you off. The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:

• High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly. This keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
• Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

Those who are at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.

Closely monitor people who depend on you for their care and ask these questions:

• Are they drinking enough water?
• Do they have access to air conditioning?
• Do they need help keeping cool?.."
  Extreme heat

CDC’s Tracking Network in Action: Extreme Heat

"Extremely hot weather can make you sick. Stay cool and hydrated to protect yourself. The Tracking Network provides data and tools that you can use to see how extreme heat may affect your health.

CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) is a dynamic surveillance system that provides information and data about environmental hazards and the health problems that may be related to them. It presents what we know about where environmental hazards exist, where exposures happen, and how targeted action can protect health, reduce illness, and save lives. The Tracking Network is a unique resource that brings together environmental and health information that cannot be found, or is hard to find, anywhere else..."
Extreme heat

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather!

"Learn about heat-related illness and how to stay cool and safe in hot weather.

High temperatures kill hundreds of people every year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet more than 600 people die from extreme heat every year.

Take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated, and keep informed. Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can’t compensate for it and properly cool you off. The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:

• High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly. This keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
• Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use all can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

Those who are at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.

Closely monitor people who depend on you for their care and ask these questions:

• Are they drinking enough water?
• Do they have access to air conditioning?
• Do they need help keeping cool?.."
  Extrme heat

CDC’s Tracking Network in Action: Extreme Heat

"CDC’s Tracking Network in Action: Extreme Heat

Español (Spanish)

Extremely hot weather can make you sick. Stay cool and hydrated to protect yourself. The Tracking Network provides data and tools that you can use to see how extreme heat may affect your health.

CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) is a dynamic surveillance system that provides information and data about environmental hazards and the health problems that may be related to them. It presents what we know about where environmental hazards exist, where exposures happen, and how targeted action can protect health, reduce illness, and save lives. The Tracking Network is a unique resource that brings together environmental and health information that cannot be found, or is hard to find, anywhere else.

Extreme Heat and Your Health

Extreme heat events, or heat waves, are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States. When temperatures rise in the summer, extremely hot weather can cause sickness or even death. Heat stress is heat-related illness caused by your body’s inability to cool down properly. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough. In such cases, a person’s body temperature rises rapidly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs..."
Extreme heat

CDC’s Tracking Network in Action: Extreme Heat

"Extremely hot weather can make you sick. Stay cool and hydrated to protect yourself. The Tracking Network provides data and tools that you can use to see how extreme heat may affect your health.

CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) is a dynamic surveillance system that provides information and data about environmental hazards and the health problems that may be related to them. It presents what we know about where environmental hazards exist, where exposures happen, and how targeted action can protect health, reduce illness, and save lives. The Tracking Network is a unique resource that brings together environmental and health information that cannot be found, or is hard to find, anywhere else.

Extreme Heat and Your Health

Extreme heat events, or heat waves, are one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the United States. When temperatures rise in the summer, extremely hot weather can cause sickness or even death. Heat stress is heat-related illness caused by your body’s inability to cool down properly. The body normally cools itself by sweating. But under some conditions, sweating just isn’t enough. In such cases, a person’s body temperature rises rapidly. Very high body temperatures may damage the brain or other vital organs.

Extremely hot weather can make you sick. Stay cool and hydrated to protect yourself..."
Extreme heat

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather!

"Learn about heat-related illness and how to stay cool and safe in hot weather.

Now is the time to prepare for the high temperatures that kill hundreds of people every year. Extreme heat causes more than 600 deaths each year. Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet many people still die from extreme heat every year.

Take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated, and keep informed. Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can’t compensate for it and properly cool you off. The main things affecting your body’s ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:

• High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won’t evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
• Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.

Those who are at highest risk include people 65 and older, children younger than two, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.  Closely monitor people who depend on you for their care and ask these questions:

• Are they drinking enough water?
• Do they have access to air conditioning?
• Do they need help keeping cool?.."
  Extreme weather

Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather

"Now is the time to prepare for the high temperatures that kill hundreds of people every year. Extreme heat caused 7,415 heat-related deaths in the United States from 1999 to 2010 . Heat-related deaths and illness are preventable, yet annually many people succumb to extreme heat.

Take measures to stay cool, remain hydrated and to keep informed. Getting too hot can make you sick. You can become ill from the heat if your body can't compensate for it and properly cool you off. The main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather are:

• High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
• Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather..."
  Extreme heat

Extreme Heat: a Prevention Guide..

Tips from the  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on dealing with extreme heat
See also: tips from the U.S. EPA