Heat stress

Heat stress occurs when heat exposure or physical exertion makes it difficult for the body to maintain a safe internal temperature. It ranges from physiological strain to heat-related illness.

Thermoregulation: The physiological processes that keep an organism’s internal temperature within a functional range. Heat stress develops when thermoregulation cannot balance heat gained against heat lost.
Wet-bulb globe temperature: An environmental heat index combining humidity, air temperature, radiant heat, and wind. It helps estimate heat stress risk during outdoor work and exercise.
Heat stroke: A life-threatening heat illness involving severe hyperthermia and central nervous system dysfunction. Unlike heat stress as a broad condition, heat stroke is a medical emergency.
Heat-related illness: A group of health conditions caused by excessive heat exposure or heat production. Heat stress can progress into this broader family of clinical conditions.
Climate change and health: The effects of changing climate conditions on human health and well-being. Rising temperatures increase the frequency and duration of hazardous heat exposure.
Sweating: The secretion of fluid onto the skin, where its evaporation can remove heat. Evaporative cooling is a principal way the body sheds heat during exertion.
Heat index: An estimate of how hot conditions feel based on air temperature and relative humidity. It communicates how humid weather can increase heat strain.
Heat syncope: Fainting or near-fainting associated with heat exposure and reduced blood flow to the brain. It is a specific heat-related outcome, often linked to standing or exertion.
Heat-related mortality: Deaths caused or worsened by exposure to excessive heat. Severe heat stress can contribute to fatal illness, especially when care is delayed.
Wet-bulb temperature: The lowest temperature attainable by evaporative cooling of a moist surface under given conditions. Its limits are studied as indicators of when human heat loss becomes difficult.

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