What Is Bad About Heat Waves?

Heat waves are sustained periods of extremely high temperatures and can have a number of negative effects on the environment and on public health. Indeed, it would be much more difficult to list the positive effects of heat waves than it is to list the negative effects.

Dehydration

• Heat causes your body to cool itself by sweating. During a heat wave, people sweat more than they usually would, and if they don't replace the fluids they lose, they can become dehydrated. Dehydration can make you feel nauseated, give you a headache and, in extreme cases, cause death.

Heat Exhaustion

• Heat exhaustion is when your body works too hard to keep itself cool. This results in general exhaustion, coupled with nausea, foul moods and fatigue. Heat exhaustion is not life-threatening, but it is unpleasant and certainly another negative.

Heat Stroke

• Heat stroke occurs after heat exhaustion. This is when your body gets too hot and loses the ability to cool itself. The result is the same as in an overheating car---if you are too hot, you cannot function. Indeed, heat stroke sometimes leads to comas and death, particularly in elderly people, who may not notice heat and thirst as readily as younger people do.

Sunburn

• Sunburn is a major problem during heat waves, simply because the sun is much stronger during a heat wave. Sunburn can be extremely painful and, if it happens too often, can lead to skin cancer later in life.