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VOA健康报道2024--How Heat Kills

时间:2024-07-19 03:20:27

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How Heat Kills

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

As temperatures and humidity rise outside, what happens inside the human body can become a life or death situation. And a difference of just a few degrees can mean living or dying.

Researchers say the danger point outdoors for illness and death from ongoing1 heat is lower than experts once thought. This discovery comes from new information, including putting people in “hot boxes” to see what happens to them. We will talk about this process later in the story.

At rest, the body’s core temperature is about 37 degrees Celsius2. That is only 4 degrees Celsius away from possible death from heatstroke.

Several doctors and other experts explained to The Associated Press what happens to the human body in such heat.

Ollie Jay is a professor of heat and health at the University of Sydney in Australia. That is where he runs the Thermal3 Ergonomics Laboratory. Jay explains that heat kills in three main ways.

Heatstroke

Usually the first way is heatstroke. This is a severe increase in body temperature that causes organs to fail. When the inner body gets too hot, the body redirects blood flow toward the skin to cool down. But that sends blood and oxygen away from the stomach and intestines4.

This can permit poisons normally found in the stomach and intestinal5 areas to get into the blood. Jay said this leads to organ failure and death.

Pressure on the heart

Number two is the bigger killer6 in heat – pressure on the heart. This is especially true for people who have cardiovascular disease. The danger starts with blood quickly flowing to the skin to help reduce body heat. That causes blood pressure to drop. The heart reacts by trying to pump more blood to keep you from passing out.

Jay said, "You’re asking the heart to do a lot more work than it usually has to do." For someone with a heart condition, he compared this situation to running for the bus with an injured leg. "Something (is) going to give," he warns.

Dr. Neil Gandhi is emergency medicine director at Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas. He said during heat waves, anyone who comes in with a fever of 37.7 degrees Celsius or higher and no evidence of infection will be checked for heat exhaustion7 or the more serious heatstroke.

Gandhi said he often sees temperatures greater than 40 to 40.5 degrees Celsius during extreme heat events. “Another degree or three and such a patient is at high risk of death,” he added.

Dehydration8

The third way heat kills is by lack of water in the body, or dehydration. As people sweat, they lose liquids to a point that can severely9 hurt kidneys, Professor Jay said. He added that dehydration also reduces blood flow and worsens cardiac problems.

Renee Salas is a Harvard University professor of public health and an emergency room doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Dehydration can be very dangerous and even deadly for everyone if it gets bad enough,” Salas said. “But it is especially dangerous for those with medical conditions and on certain medications," she added.

How heat affects the brain

Heat also affects the brain. It can interfere10 with thinking and reasoning.

Kris Ebi is a public health and climate professor at the University of Washington. She said one of the first signs that heat has become dangerous is mental confusion. However, the person suffering from the heat is unlikely to see it, she said. This becomes a bigger problem as people age.

Many people may not realize their danger, Houston’s Gandhi said. Dehydration can progress into shock. This causes organs to shut down from a lack of blood, oxygen, and nutrients11.

One definition of heatstroke is having a core body temperature of 40 degrees Celsius combined with mental confusion and difficulty thinking said Pennsylvania State University physiology12 professor W. Larry Kenney.

Wet bulb and hot box test

Some scientists use a complex measurement tool called wet bulb globe temperature. It records humidity, solar radiation, and wind. In the past, it was thought that a wet bulb reading of 35 Celsius (or 95 Fahrenheit) was the danger point.

Kenney also runs a hot box laboratory and has done nearly 600 tests. He said his tests show the wet-bulb danger point is closer to 30.5 Celsius.

And that temperature is for young healthy people. For older people, the danger point is a wet bulb temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, he said.

He adds that the amount of moisture in the air, or humidity, plays a big part. "Humid heat waves kill a lot more people than dry heat waves," Kenney said.

Heatstroke is an emergency. Medical workers try to cool a victim down within 30 minutes, Salas said. She’s the professor and emergency room doctor in Massachusetts.

The best treatment is a cold water bath. But Salas said that those baths are not always available. So, emergency rooms pump patients with cool fluids intravenously, apply cold water to the skin, put ice packs in armpits and groins, and place them on a cold mat with cold water running inside it.

However, sometimes all these treatments do not work. Experts call it a silent killer: You do not see the damage happening.

Much of the United States, Mexico, India, and the Middle East suffer through extreme heat waves. These heat events are worsened by human-caused climate change.

Climate change made a killer heat wave in Mexico and the Southwest U.S. even warmer and also made it 35 times more likely to happen more often.

Extreme heat in India has killed more than 100 people in the past three and a half months.

Words in This Story

humidity – n. a moderate degree of wetness especially of the atmosphere

core temperature – n. the temperature deep within a living bod

heatstroke – n. a condition marked especially by the stopping of sweating, a high body temperature, and exhaustion that results from exposure to high temperature for a long time

cardiovascular – adj. of, relating to, or involving the heart and blood vessels13

heat exhaustion – n. a condition marked by weakness, nausea14, dizziness, and profuse15 sweating that results from physical exertion16 in a hot environment

dehydration – n. an abnormal depletion17 of body fluids

sweat – v. to give off salty moisture through the pores of the skin

confusion – n. disturbance18 of consciousness characterized by inability to engage in orderly thought or by lack of power to distinguish, choose, or act decisively

physiology – adj. a branch of biology dealing19 with the processes and activities by which life is carried on and which are special features of the functioning of living things, tissues, and cells

intravenously – adv. being within or entering by way of the veins


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1 ongoing 6RvzT     
adj.进行中的,前进的
参考例句:
  • The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
  • The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。
2 Celsius AXRzl     
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的
参考例句:
  • The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
  • The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。
3 thermal 8Guyc     
adj.热的,由热造成的;保暖的
参考例句:
  • They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
  • Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。
4 intestines e809cc608db249eaf1b13d564503dbca     
n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
  • The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句
5 intestinal DbHzX     
adj.肠的;肠壁;肠道细菌
参考例句:
  • A few other conditions are in high intestinal obstruction. 其它少数情况是高位肠梗阻。 来自辞典例句
  • This complication has occasionally occurred following the use of intestinal antiseptics. 这种并发症偶而发生在使用肠道抗菌剂上。 来自辞典例句
6 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
参考例句:
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
7 exhaustion OPezL     
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述
参考例句:
  • She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
  • His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了,显然是太累了。
8 dehydration UYkzX     
n.脱水,干燥
参考例句:
  • He died from severe dehydration.他死于严重脱水。
  • The eyes are often retracted from dehydration.眼睛常因脱水而凹陷。
9 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
10 interfere b5lx0     
v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰
参考例句:
  • If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话,可能弊多利少。
  • When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件,棘手的事情就来了。
11 nutrients 6a1e1ed248a3ac49744c39cc962fb607     
n.(食品或化学品)营养物,营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
  • Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》
12 physiology uAfyL     
n.生理学,生理机能
参考例句:
  • He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
  • He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。
13 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 nausea C5Dzz     
n.作呕,恶心;极端的憎恶(或厌恶)
参考例句:
  • Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕期常有恶心的现象。
  • He experienced nausea after eating octopus.吃了章鱼后他感到恶心。
15 profuse R1jzV     
adj.很多的,大量的,极其丰富的
参考例句:
  • The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
  • There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。
16 exertion F7Fyi     
n.尽力,努力
参考例句:
  • We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力,累得大汗淋漓。
  • She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡,她浑身发热。
17 depletion qmcz2     
n.耗尽,枯竭
参考例句:
  • Increased consumption of water has led to rapid depletion of groundwater reserves.用水量的增加导致了地下水贮备迅速枯竭。
  • Farmers should rotate crops every season to prevent depletion of the soil.农夫每季应该要轮耕,以免耗尽土壤。
18 disturbance BsNxk     
n.动乱,骚动;打扰,干扰;(身心)失调
参考例句:
  • He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。
  • You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。
19 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

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