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Summer Fun Safety Tips |
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| Outdoor
Fun Tips
Summer Heat Sun Protection |
Summer activities
should be fun and safe. Many different problems can occur that
could have been avoided. Be prepared before starting out.
Have a great summer.
Boating
Safety Swimming Safety
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/general_pub.htm
Hiking and Camping Safety Hiking and camping provide exercise and interest for people of any age. Just getting out and walking around is a wonderful way to see nature. Since unexpected things happen, however, the best way to help guarantee a good time for all is to plan ahead carefully and follow commonsense safety precautions.
Get trained in American
Red Cross first aid before starting out. Contact your local
American Red Cross chapter What you take will depend on where you are going and how long you plan to be away, but any backpack should include the following:
Always allow for bad weather and for the possibility that you may be forced to spend a night outdoors unexpectedly. It's a good idea to assemble a separate "survival pack" for each hiker to have at all times. In a small waterproof container, place a pocket knife, compass, whistle, space blanket, nylon filament, water purification tablets, matches and candle. With these items, the chances of being able to survive in the wild are greatly improved. Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, and Heat Stroke Warm weather is wonderful. However, sometimes you can
overdo the warmth -- especially if you are active or exercising. Here are three problems children can have in hot weather. These conditions are largely brought on by heat and dehydration -- and with proper care it is possible to prevent them. Heat CrampsHeat cramps are muscle contractions, usually in the gastrocnemius or hamstring muscles (the muscles at the back of the calves). These contractions are forceful and painful. These cramps seem to be connected to heat, dehydration, and poor conditioning, rather than to lack of salt or other mineral imbalances. They usually improve with rest, drinking water, and a cool environment. Heat ExhaustionAlthough partly due to exhaustion -- and feeling like exhaustion, as the name implies -- heat exhaustion is also a result of excessive heat and dehydration. The signs of heat exhaustion include paleness, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, fainting, and a moderately increased temperature (101-102 degrees F) which, in this case, is not truly a fever, but caused by the heat. Rest and water may help in mild heat exhaustion, and ice packs and a cool environment (with a fan blowing at the child) may also help. More severely exhausted patients may need IV fluids, especially if vomiting keeps them from drinking enough.Heat StrokeIf you see these symptoms, stop right here and call your doctor or EMS. Heat stroke is a medical emergency! Heat stroke is the most severe form of heat illness. It can occur even in people who are not exercising, if the weather is hot enough. These people have warm, flushed skin, and do not sweat. Athletes who have heat stroke after vigorous exercise in hot weather, though, may still be sweating considerably. Whether exercise-related or not, though, a person with heat stroke usually has a very high temperature (106 degrees F or higher), and may be delirious, unconscious, or having seizures. These patients need to have their temperature reduced quickly, often with ice packs, and must also be given IV fluids for rehydration; they must be taken to the hospital as quickly as possible (EMS is appropriate here), and may have to stay in the hospital for observation since many different body organs can fail in heat stroke. Preventing Heat-Related IllnessesIt is possible to prevent heat-related illnesses. The important thing is to stay well-hydrated, to make sure that your body can get rid of extra heat, and to be sensible about exertion in hot, humid weather. Your sweat is your body's main system for getting rid of extra heat. When you sweat, and the water evaporates from your skin, the heat that evaporates the sweat comes mainly from your skin. As long as blood is flowing properly to your skin, extra heat from the core of your body is "pumped" to the skin and removed by sweat evaporation. If you do not sweat enough, you cannot get rid of extra heat well, and you also can't get rid of heat as well if blood is not flowing to the skin. Dehydration will make it harder for you to cool of in two ways: if you are dehydrated you won't sweat as much, and your body will try to keep blood away from the skin to keep your blood pressure at the right level in the core of your body. But, since you lose water when you sweat, you must make up that water to keep from becoming dehydrated. If the air is humid, it's harder for your sweat to evaporate -- this means that your body cannot get rid of extra heat as well when it's muggy as it can when it's relatively dry. The best fluid to drink when you are sweating is water. Although there is a little salt in your sweat, you don't really lose that much salt with your sweat, except in special circumstances; taking salt tablets may raise your body's sodium level to hazardous levels. (Your doctor can tell you whether or not you need extra salt.) "Sport drinks" such as Gatorade® are fine, too, but water is easier to obtain -- or should be. It's also important to be sensible about how much you exert yourself in hot weather. The hotter and more humid it is, the harder it will be for you to get rid of excess heat. The clothing you wear makes a difference, too: the less clothing you have on, and the lighter that clothing is, the easier you can cool off. Football players are notoriously prone to heat illness, since football uniforms cover nearly the whole body, and since football practice usually begins in late summer when the temperature outside is highest. Football players should, therefore, pay extra attention to the fluids they drink and lose, and teams should consider limiting practice and wearing light clothing for practice on very hot days, and athletes should be able to drink all the water they want during practice. For more information on heat-related illnesses, a good
source is Extreme
Heat: A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety,
at the United States Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention Web site. UV Safety Recommendation Chart
http://www.cdc.gov/ChooseYourCover/skin.htm - Who Is At Risk for Skin Cancer http://www.cdc.gov/chooseyourcover/ - Choose your Cover from this Interactive chart about what to use to prevent sun burns from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). http://213.86.179.35/default.html - from the U.S. Department of Health - What type of skin do you have? Does it burn easily? SKIN CANCERS What Causes Skin Cancer?
Sunburn and SunlightVery simply, sunburn and UV light can damage your skin, and this damage can lead to skin cancer. There are of course other determining factors, including your heredity and the environment you live in. However, both the total amount of sun received over the years, and overexposure resulting in sunburn can cause skin cancer. Most people receive 80% of their lifetime exposure to the sun by 18 years of age. The message to parents from this is to protect your children. Tanning is your skin's response to UV light. It is a protective reaction to prevent further injury to your skin from the sun. However, it does not prevent skin cancer. Remember, skin cancer is very slow to develop. The sunburn you receive this week may take 20 years or more to become skin cancer. HeredityIf there is a history of skin cancer in your family, you are probably at a higher risk. People with fair skin, with a northern European heritage appear to be most susceptible. EnvironmentThe level of UV light today is higher than it was 50 or 100 years ago. This is due to a reduction of ozone in the earth's atmosphere (the Ozone Hole). Ozone serves as a filter to screen out and reduce the amount of UV light that we are exposed to. With less atmospheric ozone, a higher level of UV light reaches the earth's surface. One factor that actually reduces UV is cloud cover. Climates and micro-climates with regular cloud cover may have a 50% lower level of UV light. The actual amount is affected by the density of the clouds.
What is Skin Cancer? Skin cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the outer layers of your skin. Your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection, and injury. It also stores water, fat, and vitamin D. The skin has two main layers and several kinds of cells. The top layer of skin is called the epidermis. It contains three kinds of cells: flat, scaly cells on the surface called squamous cells; round cells called basal cells; and cells called melanocytes, which give your skin its color.
BASAL CELL & SQUAMOUS CELLThere are several types of cancer that start in the skin. The most common are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. Skin cancer is more common in people with light colored skin who have spent a lot of time in the sunlight. Skin cancer can occur anywhere on your body, but it is most common in places that have been exposed to more sunlight, such as your face, neck, hands, and arms. Skin cancer can look many different ways. The most common sign of skin cancer is a change on the skin, such as a growth or a sore that won't heal. Sometime there may be a small lump. This lump can be smooth, shiny and waxy looking, or it can be red or reddish brown. Skin cancer may also appear as a flat red spot that is rough or scaly. Not ail changes in your skin are cancer, but you should see your doctor if you notice changes in your skin. MELANOMAMelanoma is a disease of the skin in which cancer (malignant) cells are found in the cells that color the skin (melanocytes). Melanoma usually occurs in adults, but it may occasionally be found in children and adolescents. Your skin protects your body against heat, light, infection, and injury. It is made up of two main layers: the epidermis (the top layer) and dermis (the inner layer). Melanocytes are found in the epidermis and they contain melanin, which gives the skin its color. Melanoma is sometimes called cutaneous melanoma or malignant melanoma. Melanoma is a more serious type of cancer than the more common skin cancers, basal cell cancer or squamous cell cancer, which begin in the basal or squamous cells of the epidermis. Like most cancers, melanoma is best treated when it is found (diagnosed) early. Melanoma can spread (metastasize) quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system or through the blood. (Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store infection-fighting cells.) You should see your doctor if you have any of the following warning signs of melanoma: change in the size, shape, or color of a mole; oozing or bleeding from a mole; or a mole that feels itchy, hard, lumpy, swollen, or tender to the touch. Melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. Men most often get melanoma on the trunk (the area of the body between the shoulders and hips) or on the head or neck; women most often get melanoma on the arms and legs. If you have signs of skin cancer, your doctor will examine your skin carefully. If a mole or pigmented area doesn't look normal, your doctor will cut it out (called local excision) and look at it under the microscope to see if it contains cancer. http://www.skincancer.org/self_exam/look_for.php - Photographs of what to look for. http://www.drmelton.com/Chicago/skincancerpictures/ - Photographs of different skin abrasions or cancers http://www.skincancer.org/self_exam/spot_skin_cancer.php - How to spot a skin cancer. http://www.skincancer.org/melanoma/index.php - Information about melanomas. http://www.cancer.gov/templates/doc_pdq.aspx?cdrid=62909 - National Cancer Institute INJURIES
Open wounds are abrasions or scrapes.
Bee Stings:
Sunburn:
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