FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. - There's no better way to describe it. The second Thursday at the Minnesota State Fair was miserably hot. And that heat put fairgoers at risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
For the state fair medical team, it was a busy day. Beds in their two air-conditioned medical aid stations were full by mid-afternoon.
Fairgoers trying to avoid a trip there were trying to cool off in many ways, standing in front of electric fans in various buildings, waving paper fans and drinking a lot of water and cool drinks.
Of special concern, it was Senior Day at the fair. However, anyone can fall victim to the heat. So EMT's, paramedics, nurses and doctors at the Medical Aid buildings had freezers filled with ice and six emergency vehicles on the grounds ready to respond.
Dr. R.J. Frascone, the Minnesota State Fair Medical Director said that we lose heat through evaporation, also known as sweating, and also through radiation, which is when we transfer heat to other objects that are cooler than we are without even touching them.
"Radiation accounts for 65 percent of the body ridding itself of heat, whereas evaporation about 35 percent," Frascone said. "When the temperature goes above 95 degrees, we lose our ability to radiate heat. So you can see you're losing your ability to transfer heat by two-thirds."
So Frascone said sweating is all we have left when the temperature outside matches our body heat.
How do you know if you have heat stroke? If you feel, weak, tired or have pain, seek help. If confused, it could be the more serious heat stroke and that's a medical emergency. Call 9-1-1.
To stay cool, drink lots of water, don't drink alcohol and get into the shade or air conditioning when you can.
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