Individuals suffer a heat-related illness when the body's
temperature control system is overloaded and the body can no
longer cool itself. The body normally cools itself by sweating.
As long as blood is flowing properly to the skin, extra heat
from the body is pumped to the skin and removed by sweat
evaporation. When the body’s mechanisms to decrease body heat
are overwhelmed and the body is unable to tolerate the excessive
heat, illness develops. Illness from heat exposure can take the
following three forms: heat cramps, heat exhaustion and
heatstroke. Under extreme conditions, sweating can also result
in significant fluid loss and body temperatures can rise
rapidly. Consider this...the human body is 70% water. You have 5
quarts of blood running through your system. Walking through the
desert in the heat, you'd lose about a quart of water an hour.
Five hours without water can be deadly! Common symptoms of a
heat-related illness include: - Heavy sweating - Shallow
breathing - Rapid but weakened pulse rate - I