Impacts Of Extreme Global Heat On Human BodyÂ
Sweltering heat can cause long-term health conditions or kill the person- however, for many oppressive temperatures are the new normal.
The impact of extreme global heating on the human body is not similar to the overheating of a car. It starts with one or two system failures and gradually it affects the entire engine till the car stops.
The CDC’s (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) environmental health epidemiologist, MIke McGeehin stated that when the human body finds it hard to cool on its own, it instantly affects the circulatory system. The body, the kidneys, and the heart become extremely warm and gradually shuts human cognitive abilities- and during that time, people experience fainting and at last, go to fatal conditions like coma.
During the 19 years between 2017 & 1998, over 166,000 fatalities were reported because of the extreme heat, based on the information given by the WHO (World Health Organization), and the nations across the world are facing a yearly increase in heatwaves. For several individuals, torrid heat is becoming the new normal. It is most probably going to unequally influence sick as well as poor- those with chronic diseases particularly kidney or heart conditions- and older individuals.
Each organ reacts uniquely to torrid heat, with signs that immediately cause permanent damage or fatality.
McGeehin stated that all individuals are at risk from oppressive heat- it is a fact of life, the human body requires to work well in a particular environment. Also when that habitat becomes oppressive, it becomes risky for humans.
Heart
Post-Doctoral Scientist at CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Paris, Dr. Pieter Vancamp mentioned that to cool off and sweat, blood circulation changes from the main organs to the peripheral regions of the body, resulting in a blood pressure drop in these major organs. The heart rate begins to increase to adjust, however, if the individual doesn’t hydrate themselves by drinking more water, their blood pressure can fall to a dangerous point & cause fainting, Vancamp released a book in 2021 which discusses the mechanism of the human body in dealing the external obstacles like torrid heat.
In severe conditions, without any treatment, it can result in heart failure. During the last decade, 384 mortalities were reported in the United States due to exposure to oppressive heat especially waste collectors and farmworkers, based on a recent study. researchers from the University of Edinburgh discovered that exposure to oppressive heat increases the possibilities of cardiac diseases in firefighters.
Brain
The human body’s in-house thermostat is the hypothalamus. It is present inside the brain. Hypothalamus maintains the temperature of the body employing details that are passed to it by the thermal sensors present in certain organs, muscles, and skin.
Vancamp mentioned that when an alarming temperature is identified, the brain starts a set of reactions to cool the body like the need to seek cooler environments & water, high respiration, and sweating. However, when the body becomes overheated, these reactions begin to fail, and can result in brain miscommunication, leading to altered behavior, dizziness, and confusion.
He commented that a normal human cell functions properly at a temperature of 37°C. When there is a rise in temperature even for a small difference, neural communication begins to break down. And that is the time when there will be a deterioration in body communication.
In around 20% heatstroke surviving individuals, the brain might never completely recover, causing poor coordination, clumsiness, and personality changes in the person, based on a study carried out by the School of Medicine, UCLA.
Kidneys
University of Colorado’s head of hypertension & renal diseases and professor of medicine, Dr. Richard Johnson claimed that kidneys maintain blood levels of salt and water. Therefore, the organs are the sudden link between climate crisis and humans- since, during the start of extreme global heating, humans lose huge amounts of salt & water via sweat.
He discussed that hormones generated within the brain are needed for the kidneys to function well, however, when the extreme heat impacts the brain and disturbs the normal chemical concentrations, the kidneys along with other organs are affected. Johnson stated that his and others’ study even indicates that repetitive dehydration and heat stress could result in chronic kidney conditions. Last year’s report described an extensive chronic kidney condition with a non-traditional origin in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. It also described that this chronic condition has been found at rice, corn, cotton, and sugar cane farms in working-age individuals.
Liver
Royal Surrey county hospital’s anesthetist and consultant, Dr. Edward Walter confirmed that the liver can’t tolerate torrid heat. When the internal temperature of the body goes beyond 40°C during heatstroke, liver damage can be observed with rising levels of liver enzymes within the blood.
Johnson added that the liver needs well-maintained temperature- and it was noted that repetitive heat stress resulted in noticeable low-grade liver impairments, however, it is not clear currently whether it can cause chronic liver disease. Nonetheless, it is a field that needs more exploration.
Gut
As blood circulates away from the major organs to cool down the body, the resulting limited oxygen condition can affect normal functioning. Within the gastrointestinal tract, this can result in inflammation and vomiting & nausea for extreme conditions.
In the year 2013, scientists from the University hospital Zurich discovered an alarming risk of inflammatory bowel condition aggravation during torrid heat, in what they denoted as the first-ever study to associate bowel disease with the climate crisis.
Walter claimed that oppressive heat can even result in a leaky gut, during which pathogenic bacteria and toxins penetrate to blood, shooting the chances of infections. He added that it is nearly possible to cause a type of sepsis infection because of the heat. Gut porosity appears to be a significantly major issue.
Effects Of Extreme Heating On Humans, Extreme Global Heating On Body, Effects Of Extreme Heating On Humans, Extreme Global Heating On Body, Effects Of Extreme Heating On Humans
Further Read:
