![]() Is this extreme weather the ‘new normal?’ There’s no such thing, some scientists sayĭr. REUTERS/Stelios Misinas Stelios Misinas/Reuters ER doctors say the most common heat-related illnesses they see are heat exhaustion and heatstroke.įlames engulf a house as a wildfire burns in Saronida, near Athens, Greece, July 17, 2023. ![]() More than 5,000 heat records have been broken or tied in the US over the last 30 days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.ĭespite the extreme heat, most places aren’t seeing burn injuries right now. “It is a really substantial injury,” Foster said.Īround the United States on Monday, more than 35 million people are under heat alerts scattered across the western US, Plains and in South Florida. ![]() Patients with third-degree burns will require multiple surgeries and have to spend weeks or even months in the hospital and have years of reconstructive surgery and therapy. “These are really serious injuries,” he said. It can take only a “fraction of a second” to get a “pretty deep burn,” he said. For people who have been on the pavement for 10 to 20 minutes, “the skin is completely destroyed” and the damage often goes down deep, meaning it is a third-degree burn.įoster sees burns like that after people survive a house fire. I mean, it’s just a little below boiling, so it’s really something,” Foster said. “The temperature of asphalt and pavement and concrete and sidewalks in Arizona on a warm sunny day or summer afternoon is 180 degrees sometimes. Phoenix had six consecutive days at or above 115 degrees by Saturday the streak ended Sunday, with high temperatures reaching only 114 degrees. Last Thursday, the air temperature reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit. On a hot day, asphalt can easily be 40 to 60 degrees hotter than the air, some studies show. When heat turns dangerous, ER doctors do ‘whatever it takes’ to treat patients Undefined - Track security officer Patty Patterson carries a bag of ice on her shoulders as she walks back to her post during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race practice at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, on July 20. Since it is a dense material, it also holds the heat even after the sun has been shining on it. While concrete is lighter and reflects some sunlight, when the sun shines on asphalt, its dark color causes it to absorb light and it heats up. The area has been hotter than usual, even for Arizona, and that, experts said, means that the ground can be dangerous for anyone whose bare skin comes into contact with it.Īsphalt is dark and dense. “It has definitely taken its toll,” Foster said. There are also burn patients in the ICU, and about half of those patients are people burned after falls. “The numbers are higher and the seriousness of injuries are higher, and we don’t have a good explanation for it.”Įvery single one of the 45 beds in the burn center is full, he said, and one-third of patients are people who fell and burned themselves on the ground. Kevin Foster, director of burn services at the Arizona Burn Center at Valleywise Health. ![]() But this is really unusual - the number of patients that we’re seeing and the severity of injuries - the acuity of injuries is much higher,” said Dr. ![]() “Summers are our busy season, so we anticipate that this sort of thing is going to happen. Heat can kill on the job, and these workers are dying Record-breaking temperatures continue soaring as prolonged heatwaves sweep across the country's southwest. Construction workers gather together in the shade on Jin Austin, Texas. ![]()
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