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KATHY FROM NEW YORK ASKS:
Summer has barely started, and it’s already so hot where I live. We’re seeing record high temps this June, thanks to what I hear is called a “heat dome.” I’m concerned about heat exhaustion. I know to check the Air Quality Index when the temperatures are high, but what about the heat itself? Is there something specific I should be doing to protect my kids, especially when it’s hot for days on end?
Tell EPA: Do Not Delay on Ozone Pollution
MOM DETECTIVE ANSWERS:
Hi, Kathy. Your question is both critical and fitting. As early as April, places across the country were already heating up. It even hit 100 degrees in Phoenix, Arizona, this year on April 21, earlier than usual. Last week, the East Coast and Midwest experienced a “heat dome,” one of those new wild weather terms we hear so much lately. Heat domes form when hot air gets trapped by high atmospheric pressure and creates an area of intense heat over a region.
Fear of heat exhaustion is real—all across the country! While some of the anticipated heat centered around the Midwest this summer can be linked to the La Niña climate cycle, human-caused climate change is the main driver of extreme heat, not weather patterns. Greenhouse gases from the combustion of fossil fuels are making much of our planet hotter and wetter, and we are now experiencing more severe heat waves as a result. This will go way beyond summer 2024.
Checking the Air Quality Index before venturing out to play is a smart way to safeguard our kids’ health from air pollution year round. And, yes, there are similar-ish things to check and steps to take for extreme heat. Extreme heat is a major public health threat, and temperatures lower than 100, especially when combined with humidity, can push people into dangerous heat index zones, according to the National Weather Service. Kids are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat, including heat exhaustion. So are Black and Brown communities; they bear a disproportionate burden of extreme weather. And many of us are now living in areas experiencing entire months of over 100 degrees.
What to check
There should be local advisories for excessive heat where you live, so make sure to seek out and heed these warnings. You can also bookmark and check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s heat and health tracker. The National Weather Service just launched a new HeatRisk tool, a color-numeric-based index that provides a forecast risk of heat-related impacts to occur over a 24-hour period. Yellow would mean minor risk of heat-related impacts, while red would indicate a level of heat that affects anyone without effective cooling or adequate hydration. HeatRisk also takes into consideration:
- how unusual the heat is for the time of the year,
- the duration of the heat, including both daytime and nighttime temperatures, and
- if those temperatures pose an elevated risk of heat-related impacts based on data from the CDC.
What to do in extreme heat
Approximately 1,220 people in the U.S. die every year due to extreme heat, according to the CDC. So it’s worth familiarizing yourself with signs of heat-related illnesses, like heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Some of the simple and effective steps to take during extreme heat days are similar to those you’d take on poor air quality days. Experts say to slow down. While this is easy enough for adults to do, some kids just zoom around no matter what the temperature. Caregivers can help protect kids from heat exhaustion and other impacts on extreme heat days by gently limiting strenuous activities and offering outdoor play at the coolest time each day. Playing in shade, not full sun, is also smart.
Dressing in lightweight fabrics, using sun protection, drinking a lot of fluids, and spending time in air-conditioned places are all good commonsense things to do during periods of extreme heat.
Playgrounds, school, daycare
Parents and caregivers can implement a general plan to follow for extreme heat days when kids are home. But they’re just as frequently at school, daycare, and playgrounds. It’s well established that playground materials can heat up to dangerous levels during extreme heat. Children have burned their feet when walking barefoot on rubber playground surfaces that reach a whopping 160 degrees. Asphalt as well as metal and plastic slides and swings can all heat up to unsafe temperatures. Playgrounds frequently lack shade and real grass. If you happen to have a local park with water features like sprinklers, these are a good option, especially when not located under direct sun.
It’s important to talk to care providers about their plans for extreme heat days. If you don’t know where to start the conversation, Protecting Californians With Heat-Resilient Schools is an extensive resource from UCLA addressing how the state’s K–12 education system is underprepared for rising temperatures. It can be shared with your own school board, or even a daycare, no matter where you live and is full of excellent suggested recommendations and interventions to address heat risk in schools. These include installing cooling systems, planting shade trees, and installing outdoor shade structures, like shade sails, over playground equipment.
You can also join Moms Clean Air Force to get involved in the fight to cut the climate pollution causing extreme heat and heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion. Together, we can demand our agencies and elected officials continue to invest in clean energy, clean cars, and clean air and act on climate today.