Now that Summer is a-coming in....

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Why do heat waves kill people? How does it work? What happens inside the body? And how long does a heat wave usually take to kill somebody?

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Now that temperatures in Britain are rocketing toward 30C, here's some more good news...I just found the answer to my question while searching for something entirely else. Here's what I found...

"...heat waves can kill you directly by inducing heatstroke, which damages the brain, the kidneys, and other organs. Or it can increase your chances of succumbing to a heart condition, a stroke, or breathing problems.
Heat-related stress can kill you in other ways, too: Cocaine users, for example, are more likely to die from an overdose on a hot summer day.
Problems start when your body can't keep its core temperature close to 98.6 degrees...
Meanwhile, your sweat glands start to release water, which has a cooling effect as it evaporates from the surface of the skin....
On a very hot, sticky day, you may not be able to radiate any heat from the surface of your skin, and your sweat won't evaporate fast enough to keep you cool....
The heart responds by pumping more blood away from the internal organs. This deprives the intestines of oxygen, which damages their linings and makes them more permeable to endotoxins. (The strain on the heart can also lead to arrhythmia or cardiac arrest.)
At the same time, an overheated core causes an inflammatory response throughout the body. The combination of the inflammatory response and the endotoxins in the bloodstream can suppress the body's natural mechanism for cooling down.
Once your core gets above about 104 degrees, you're in serious danger. High internal temperatures lead to increased pressure in your skull and decreased blood flow to your brain...
Damaged tissue may also enter your bloodstream and lead to kidney failure.
Very high internal temperatures—like 120 degrees—can destroy the cells in your body through direct heat damage."

There's much more here... http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2006/08/how_does_heat_kill_you.html

So wear a hat and grab a cold beer or three this summer!