The forest fires which has been ravaging across the Europe is the reason for increase in temperature. Firefighters in Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, and Morocco are battling for extinguishing the wild forest fires. This forest fire has been raging across tens of thousand of hectares as this contributes of extreme temperature across Europe.
The second heatwaves of the summer has been soaring with temperature hitting 47 degree Celsius in Portugal and 45 degree Celsius in Spain. This has triggered wildfires, which is the contributing factor for wildfires and also have forced the evacuation of thousand people. UK has been given ‘red alert’ for ferocious heatwave which might send temperature to 40 degree Celsius and above. UK has been warned by different newspapers to have a “meltdown Monday”. This temperature can cause excessive harm to different body parts. Here is how heatwave is harmful to different body part-
Skin
Sunburns is caused by excessive exposure to sun’s Ultraviolet rays. The more body is exposed to sunburn, the more likely a person is likely to suffer from skin cancer. Too much exposure to UV radiation can damage skin cell DNA.
Brain
Due to extreme high temperature, the blood barrier begins in brain which might cause breakdown. Proteins and ions accumulate in the brain, causing inflammation. Extreme heat negatively affects mental health.
Sweat
The hypothalamus is the body’s thermostat. It senses temperature changes, inside the body and out, and makes adjustments to keep it within one or two degree of 37C. When the brain senses that the body is warming, the hypothalamus sends message to blood vessels near the skin, telling to dilate. This increases the amount of blood at the surface of the skin allowing to lose heat.
Lungs
Hot weather can impact air quality, making it harder to breathe. High temperatures are typically accompanied by still air which allows pollutants to stagnate. Smog and ground-level ozone can reduce lung function, and is a major factor in asthma morbidity and mortality.
Heart
AS the heat wave increases, blood vessels dilates, and this lowers blood pressure, and making a person feel dizzy and sick. When the body senses temperature surge, the medulla oblongata- the part of the brain that controls vital processes including heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure tells the heart to increase the amount of blood pumped for every beat. But with blood pressure lowered, the heart has to work harder to push the blood around the body, so the heart rate increases.
This heatwave calls for precautions and good taking care of oneself. To protect yourself from heatwave stay hydrated, use umbrella and caps, and also keep yourself full so that heatstroke doesn’t affect us. The wildfire needs to get extinguished immediately as it has been the contributing factor for the temperature increase in the European country.
