The region is being enveloped by a "heat dome" raising temperatures to near record-breaking levels, made all the more unbearable by power failures and sandstorms. Some of the most sizzling temperatures were recorded in the Iranian city of Bandar Mahshahr, which achieved a heat index of a whopping 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 Celsius), the second highest ever reported, according to the Washington Post. What's worse is there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight, according to weather forecasts.
Entire cities are literally as hot as saunas right now. Saunas might have health benefits, but no one has ever tried to live in one. How could anyone survive such extreme temperatures over a sustained period? Is it even possible to breathe in those conditions?
Well, yes, breathing is possible, but not necessarily comfortable, experts say. The heat can change air quality, which in turn can affect those breathing that air, according to Albert A. Rizzo, senior medical adviser to the American Lung Association. Higher temperatures mean higher ozone levels on the ground.
"Ozone has almost like a sunburning effect on the airways of the lungs," Rizzo told Discovery News. "That tends to make the airways sometimes inflamed. They tighten up, so it becomes harder to get the air in and out."
The extreme temperatures can be particularly taxing on anyone with an underlying lung condition, such as asthma, COPD or emphysema. "Even for people with normal lungs, doing activities outdoors in the heat of the day when ozone levels are high is not advisable," Rizzo said.
So a person outside in extremely hot weather would be able to breathe, but probably with some difficulty. And breathing is in fact one of the ways humans cool down. The other is sweating, but that doesn't work as well when it's humid. While we tend to sweat more in humidity, which is why we often associate it with "sticky" heat, the moist air isn't evaporating sweat, and therefore doesn't produce a cooling effect.
Excessive sweating can lead to dehydration, fatigue and muscle cramps. This can add up to heat exhaustion. Eventually, all that lost water will lead a person to stop sweating and the ever-rising body temperature will stress internal organs.
The heart, for example, would increase circulation to regulate internal temperatures or overcome dehydration, which can thicken the blood and make it harder to pump, the Environmental Protection Agency's Excessive Heat Events Guidebook (PDF) explains. When the body gets so hot that organs shut down and cells are damaged, an individual experiences heat stroke, and must be cooled down immediately.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1979 and 2003 in the United States, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths, more than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined. The CDC also lists a range of risks factors for those most susceptible to heat-related illness, including "age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use."
Demographics and geography can also play a role, according to the EPA. The poor are more likely to suffer from heat-related illness. Those in northern latitudes, who are less adapted to hotter weather, also can struggle to cope with extreme heat.
Heat waves can have both a physical and a psychological impact. In 2001, the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science published a meta-analysis of studies on the link between heat and violence, which uncovered a causal relationship between the two. A 2007 study from the British Journal of Psychiatry found an increased risk of suicide during hot weather. And a 2008 study appearing in Environmental Health Perspectives noted a rise in the number of beds occupied at psychiatric hospitals during heat waves.
Read more at Discovery News
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