As heat waves loom, scientists wonder how humans will adapt
Temperatures are set to soar in the US around the July 4 holiday, a week after Europe struck new records. With experts predicting more intense
Temperatures are set to soar in the US around the July 4 holiday, a week after Europe struck new records. With experts predicting more intense and more frequent heat waves in the future, can our bodies adapt? Late June brought record-breaking temperatures to France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany. The national weather service, DWD, reported that Germany had never experienced such intense heat for such a long stretch so early in the year. Now, large parts of the central and eastern United States are also living under heat warnings heading into the July 4 holiday weekend, with extreme heat expected to push temperatures as high as 100 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8-46.1 C) across much of the region. Outdoor workers are especially at risk during heat waves Image: Benjamin Westhoff/dpa/picture alliance A heat wave like this, with daytime temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) and nights when the thermometer doesn't drop below 20 C, places enormous strain on the human body. That is especially true for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with underlying health conditions and those who perform physically demanding work or work outdoors. Are people from hotter regions better able to cope with heat? "The human body can adapt, and those adaptations are more developed in people who are continuously exposed to heat," said Claudia Traidl-Hoffmann, a physician and university professor.
She is director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the University of Augsburg, where she treats patients with environmentally related illnesses. Extreme heat: Can Europe adapt to climate change? To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Traidl-Hoffmann is also director of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Helmholtz Munich, where she researches environmental diseases. As a member of the German government's scientific advisory council, she advises policymakers. Adaptation to changing environmental conditions takes time, Traidl-Hoffmann writes in her book "Medicine of the Future — Healing in a Changing World" (original German title: "Die Medizin der Zukunft — Heilen in einer veränderten Welt"). But it's not a matter of years — rather, it will take centuries. What happens to the human body in the heat? "Once outdoor temperatures reach 23 C (73.4 F), the body begins activating mechanisms to regulate its temperature," Traidl-Hoffmann explained. Blood vessels widen, allowing the body to release heat. Sweating provides additional cooling. Together, these processes help keep the body's core temperature stable. If these mechanisms don't work properly or fail altogether, the consequences can range from cardiovascular disease and stroke to multiple organ failure. The latter happens when the body can no longer maintain a stable core temperature. Europe's heat wave: The worst is yet to come To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "When our body temperature rises too much, metabolic processes initially accelerate further — until the body loses control — across all levels from the immune system to the nervous system.
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