One of the most inescapable signs of climate change is the spate of record-breaking heat waves that baked our planet this summer, drying out essential crops, contributing to forest fires, and overburdening emergency rooms with patient numbers not seen since the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 80% of humanity suffered through unusually hot temperatures this July—heat waves that were directly attributable to rising greenhouse gas emissions. Outdoor workers are bearing the brunt. No matter how hot it gets, garbage still has to be collected, packages delivered, houses roofed, roads constructed, electricity grids expanded, and produce plucked for grocery store shelves. Working with local reporters from Georgia Public Broadcasting, I met with farmers, agricultural laborers, delivery drivers, construction workers, and garbage collectors throughout July. We used sweat-sampling technology from Epicore Biosystems to monitor things like skin temperature and water loss, to understand how taxing physical labor in high-heat situations can be. We expected extremes, still, our findings were surprising: - The solid waste worker lost the equivalent of 35 20-oz bottles of Gatorade in sweat over the course of his 10-hour day. But because he made a point to regularly rehydrate with water and sports drinks, and took regular cool down breaks, he never suffered any symptoms of heat stress, like dizziness or headaches.
- Farmworkers and maintenance crews showed lower fluid loss, but rarely took the time to cool down and rehydrate. They were more likely to complain about heat stress symptoms.
- One delivery driver swore by pickle juice as a rehydration pick-me-up; farm workers gravitated towards Pedialyte, usually prescribed for children suffering dehydration from diarrhea. Pedialyte I can pick up in my local pharmacy. I have yet to find bottled pickle juice—if anyone knows where I can get some, let me know. I’m eager to try it for myself.
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