Doctor issues warning as dangerous heat wave sweeps across US region: 'If you have to be outside, take those breaks'

East Coast medical professionals sounded the alarm as record-breaking temperatures scorched the region in late June, leaving people vulnerable to potential health complications. 

Triple-digit heat can be particularly hazardous for those with underlying conditions and anyone spending extended time outdoors. 

What's happening?

Massachusetts residents are among those to have experienced dangerously high temperatures this season, prompting urgent warnings about heat-related illnesses. 

"If you have to be outside, take those breaks, get yourself into a cool area, try to cool yourself down in between periods where you do have to be out in the hot weather," Andrew Eyre, an emergency medicine physician, told Boston outlet WCVB 5. 

The extreme heat disrupted daily life across the region. Power outages left some neighborhoods without vital air conditioning, and outdoor workers navigated unsafe conditions.

Eyre, who works at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explained that light-headedness, headaches, nausea, and vomiting are among the first symptoms doctors look for when people are experiencing physical issues related to heat.

Why is extreme heat concerning?

Hot weather isn't a brand-new phenomenon of life on Earth. But scientists generally agree that rising global temperatures are being driven by human activity that pumps heat-trapping pollution into our atmosphere. The burning of oil, coal, and gas — to create electricity, to warm homes, and fuel gas-powered cars — forms a figurative blanket around the planet, intensifying dire weather events.

For this reason, heat waves are expected to become more intense and more common in the future, increasing the potential for uncomfortable as well as risky situations for those without access to functional, affordable cooling systems. Triple-digit temperatures can worsen health conditions for vulnerable people, including children, older adults, those with chronic illnesses, and historically marginalized communities, including low-income and unhoused populations.

What can be done about extreme heat?

Numerous communities across New England mobilized cooling centers to provide relief during the heat wave. Some schools in their last days before summer break dismissed students early when temperatures became unsafe. 

Staying hydrated, taking frequent breaks in air-conditioned spaces, limiting physical activity, and checking in on vulnerable neighbors are important steps to take. Unfortunately, not everyone has equitable access to the resources required to make those steps happen. 

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