As temperatures rise, millions of people around the world will be exposed to dangerous thermal stress.
Many live in developing countries and work to create deadly conditions.
These include open defecation on farms and building houses in factories and hospitals or staying indoors.
Meteorologists say global warming actually increases the likelihood of summer conditions being "too hot for humans."
When we did the doctor. Caught with Jimmy Lee, his goggles flew and sweat began to flow from his neck.
Emergency medicine drug, he works in the hot summer of tropical Singapore for the care of Kovid-19 patients.
There was no deliberately chosen air conditioning to prevent the virus from flying around - and he and his colleagues noticed it becoming "more irritating, worse for each other".
And their personal protective equipment, which is needed to prevent infection, can make things worse by creating a loud 'micro-climate' under many layers of plastic.
"It really touches you when you first get there, and it's really uncomfortable over an eight - hour innings - it affects courage."
One danger is that overheating will reduce the ability of medical personnel to do important work - make quick decisions.
Another thing is that they can ignore the warning signs of heat stress - such as epilepsy and nausea - and keep working until they collapse.
What is heat stress?
This occurs when the body does not cool properly, so its core temperature rises to dangerous levels and vital organs are shut down.
The main technique to get rid of excess heat - the evaporation of sweat on the skin - does not take place because the air is too moist.
As Dr. Lee and other physicians have discovered, the inner layers of personal protective equipment (PPEs) - designed to keep viruses away - have the effect of preventing sweat from evaporating.
Doctor doing research on physiology at the University of Birmingham. According to Rebecca Lucas, symptoms range from epilepsy and confusion to numbness and kidney failure.
"It can be very severe when you warm up and in all areas of the body."
How can we see?
A system called the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) measures not only heat but also humidity and other factors to give a more realistic description of conditions.
In the 1950s, it was used to follow U.S. military guidelines to keep soldiers safe.
For example, when approaching WBGT 29C, it is recommended that no exercise be discontinued for anyone.
Dr. Lee and his colleagues regularly enjoy the NG Teng Fong General Hospital in Singapore on a regular basis.
And at the top of the scale - when registering the WBGT 32C - the US stated that rigorous training should be discontinued as the risk became "extreme".
However, Professor Vidya Venugopal of Sri Ramachandra University recently reported high levels in hospitals in Chennai, India.
They found workers working in a salt pan, which is WBGT, which reaches 33C during the day - this time they need shelter.
And in a steel plant, a brutal level of 41.7C was recorded, which the workers called "great heat."
"If this happens every day, people will suffer from dehydration, heart problems, kidney stones, heat exhaustion," Professor Venugopal said.
What is the impact of climate change?
As global temperatures rise, more intense humidity is likely, meaning more people will be exposed for longer days with a dangerous combination of heat and humidity.
Professor Richard Bates of the UK Met Office has implemented computer models that will increase the number of days with WBGT above 32C depending on whether greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
And he already risks millions of people working in a challenging combination of extreme heat and high humidity.
"We humans have evolved to live in a certain range of temperatures, so if global warming causes it to become clear that sooner or later the hottest parts of the world will see such conditions. It will be too hot for us."
Another study published earlier this year warned that by 2100 1.2 billion people worldwide will be affected by heat stress, four times more than now.
What are the solutions?
According to Dr. Jimmy Lee, "This is not rocket science".
People should drink plenty of fluids before starting work, take regular breaks and drink again while resting.
His hospital staff began putting “slush” on semi-frozen drinks to cool them down.
But he believes heat stress is much easier to avoid.
For him and his colleagues, getting out of PPE to relax and then joining a group of new tools is a very laborious process.
He said there was also a practical problem - "Some people don't like to drink, so they can avoid going to the toilet."
And the professional desire is to face any difficulties, without frustrating colleagues and patients in times of crisis.
Those who are highly motivated are actually at greater risk of heat injury, Dr. Said Jason Lee, an associate professor of physiology at the National University of Singapore.
He is a key member of the Global Heat Health Information Network, which specializes in acute heat strokes, and has developed guidelines that can help physicians deal with Kovid-19.
It is accredited by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the US Meteorological Agency Nova.
According to Dr. Lee, comfort and fluids - and actions such as shade for outdoor workers - are an important strategy for dealing with heat stress.
"By keeping yourself aerobically fit, you are also increasing your heat tolerance, and there are a lot of other benefits as well."
He sees the challenge for medicine, sweating inside his PPE while dealing with Covid-19, "rehearsing almost like a full dress" for future temperature rises.
“This climate change is going to be a big monster and we really need a coordinated effort that is ready for the time to come.
“Otherwise, there will be a price to pay,” he said.
0 Comments