Heat Exhaustion

Old Man Summer met 75,000 mostly young concertgoers at PSINet Stadium yesterday for an event billed as Baltimore's biggest rock festival, and a good time was had by most.From the breeze-blessed top level of the stadium, Michelle Kovaleski, 31, and Jim Davis, 35, peered down upon the distant, flailing crowd surfers at the 10th annual HFStival, as the sound of Silverchair drifted up. Kovaleski and Davis were glad to be far above the packed stadium floor, where the average age was about two-thirds of theirs.

When Kim Smith, 36, and Kelly Gonteski, 29, decided to ride in a 350-mile, four-day bike ride, they didn't even own bicycles. They hadn't ridden since high school.But after a friend of Smith's told her about the ride, the two decided to enter the Washington, D.C., AIDS Ride II.Their motivation? The two Towson residents wanted to get in shape, meet new people "and do something you never thought you would do," Smith says.Not only did they complete the ride, which started in Raleigh, N.C., on June 18 and ended June 21 in Washington, but between them they raised $5,600 for D.C.'s Foods and Friends, a nonprofit organization that delivers meals to AIDS patients, and the Whitman/Walker Clinic, an AIDS clinic.

After a long, cool spring, sudden soaring temperatures stop us cold. Our bodies weren't ready for this.Normal, healthy adults who exercise outside will adapt, of course. But it will take four to 10 days to switch to "summer" speed. Kids and older adults adapt more slowly. And very elderly people may not adapt at all.Heat and humidity aren't just uncomfortable. They can be dangerous. The problem is that sweating, although a great cooling mechanism, results in the loss of body fluid. Some of that comes from your blood, decreasing its volume, making it harder for your heart to pump enough to meet your body's needs.

A 10-alarm brush fire swept across 25 acres of dry grass in Anne Arundel County near the Francis Scott Key Bridge yesterday afternoon, sending one firefighter to the hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation, county fire officials said.The brush fire's cause was unknown, but firefighters said a low-level blaze had been burning, mostly underground, at the field since Thursday."Anything could have sparked it," said J. Gary Sheckells, the Anne Arundel County fire public information officer.

A fast-moving thunderstorm broke the bubble of the season's second hot spell yesterday, lowering temperatures and leaving thousands without electricity.The late-afternoon storm, which caused temperatures to plummet from the mid-90s to the mid-70s as it swept from southwest to northeast, dumped nearly a half-inch of rain in some areas.Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reported that more than 25,000 customers were without power in Baltimore, and Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Howard and Carroll counties.

Marylanders could only steam at the weather yesterday, as high humidity combined with record-breaking temperatures to produce dangerous conditions.The hot, heavy air cooked up to 102 degrees at Baltimore-Washington International Airport at 2:20 p.m., shattering a record for the date of 98 degrees set in 1988.But with humidity exceeding 50 percent, it felt far worse -- with a "heat index" reaching 124 degrees at BWI and perhaps even higher levels in Baltimore, where WBAL-TV recorded a high of 104 degrees at its Television Hill monitoring station.

Marylanders could only steam at the weather yesterday as high humidity combined with record-breaking temperatures to produce dangerous conditions.The hot, heavy air cooked up to 102 degrees at Baltimore-Washington International Airport at 2:20 p.m., shattering a record for the date of 98 degrees set in 1988.But with humidity exceeding 50 percent, it felt far worse -- with a "heat index" reaching 124 degrees at BWI and perhaps even higher levels in Baltimore, where WBAL-TV recorded a high of 104 degrees at its Television Hill monitoring station.

The Sun's Jamison Hensley spoke with Bromley Lowe, who performs as the Oriole Bird. Lowe had plenty to say about life as a mascot but, because the case is not resolved, he said he couldn't talk about specifics of an incident during which a visiting, off-duty Long Island, N.Y., police officer allegedly punched out the Bird Aug. 3 at Camden Yards.Q: How did you become interested in being a professional mascot?A: I was at college at American University and I played Clawde the Eagle. I also was one of the guys who played Striker at the World Cup games.

A heavy afternoon downpour not only transformed a fast track at Pimlico Race Course into a sloppy one, but also made it quite a bit easier yesterday for Count On Numbers to gallop to a 7 1/2 -length, front-running score in the $51,650 Primer Breeders' Cup.Speed carries in the slop and smart horseplayers picked up on it, making Count On Numbers the 6-5 favorite over 2-1 second choice Bug River, who has developed a come-from-behind style."

Staying cool when temperatures are high and the humidity is soup-thick can be a challenge for everyone. But it's a necessity for seniors.Dehydration, heat exhaustion, even sunburn can be serious hazards for those whose bodies already are fragile from age or illness.To help guard against such threats, doctors and health officials who work with the elderly urge precautions that include avoiding long exposure to the heat and staying aware of the body's need for water when the weather gets hot.Barbara Miller, coordinator of the health-wellness program operated by the county's Office on Aging also stresses the importance of staying indoors.

The water's lapping at your freshly manicured toes. The sun's shining down on your back and your Blackberry is most definitely turned off. It's a glorious beach moment. But sun seekers beware: A dazzling day at the shore can be the perfect summer escape, but don't let the relaxation put you off your guard. When it comes to sun, there can be too much of a good thing. Heat exhaustion and sunburn are not just minor annoyances; they can be harmful. Heat-related illness, ranging from cramps to life-threatening heatstroke, happens when the body struggles to cool itself.

It was too much to bear going outside Saturday, what with the air suddenly thick like soup and nearly as hot, so 29-year-old Matthew Urso stayed inside, plopped on the couch watching television all day, except when he took a break to take a nap. So yesterday, he knew he needed to do something. In what seemed like the opposite extreme, the downtown Baltimore resident was up early and on his bicycle, riding a 20-mile circuit through the city. His concession to the heat? "We had talked about doing a 30-mile," Urso said, "but we voted on 20 because it was so hot."

It could be a scorcher. While many people might beat the heat this weekend with trips to the beach or a pool - or by simply parking themselves in front of an air conditioner - others might not have any way to cool down. "When it's hot, it can be dangerous," Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon said yesterday as she issued the season's first Code Red heat alert, starting today and lasting at least through Monday. "The goal is simple: to save lives." With temperatures likely to climb well into the 90s this weekend and Monday, the alert mobilizes city agencies to look out for residents who might be isolated and unable to care for themselves if overcome by heat.

Summer means heat, humidity and lots of sweating. It's uncomfortable, but the sweat pouring down your face is actually protecting you from heat stroke and possibly saving your life. Heat stroke, which can progress rapidly, results from your body's inability to cool itself in extremely hot conditions. A lack of fluids can also contribute to its onset. Dr. Bill Zirkin, an emergency medicine physician at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, says "drink more than your thirst would otherwise dictate -- a good guide is for each hour of being outdoors on a hot, humid day, drink 16 ounces -- double that if you are exerting yourself."

Missing yet another PGA Tour cut was the least of Michelle Wie's worries. The 16-year-old phenom was treated for heat exhaustion at a local hospital after withdrawing from the PGA John Deere Classic with nine holes left yesterday in Silvis, Ill. She struggled to keep herself from getting sick on a hot, steamy afternoon and left the course in an ambulance. "She suffered a number of different symptoms, including stomach pains, nausea, dizziness and breathing problems, which worsened as the round continued," Wie's agent, Ross Berlin, said in a statement.

GRAPELAND, TEXAS -- On the run from the fierce winds and rising waters of Hurricane Rita, thousands of Gulf Coast residents found themselves caught in a different kind of struggle yesterday, stranded, here and there, along rural highways across East Texas with no gas, no shelter and grim choices as they braced for the storm that would reach them within hours. Places such as Grapeland, a town of 1,450 on a secondary highway about 100 miles north of Houston, were overrun with evacuees who had abandoned the jammed interstates in search of gas, food and refuge.

It's the recipe for a prickly situation -- too much time out in the sun, running around playing, sweating and sweating some more, but, because you're trying to avoid sunburn, you keep your shirt on and insist that your kids keep theirs on, too. Later that week, you or the kids or all of you are afflicted with tiny, stinging, itchy, red, pimply, blistery bumps. They're under your arms, behind your knees, under your breasts and between your legs. It's heat rash, also known as prickly heat.

Pro boxer Jermain Taylor gets up earlier. Anesthesiologist Philip Zwiebel swaps marathons for triathlons and Ultimate Frisbee devotee Lois Gramley isn't above dousing herself or pals with ice water on the playing field. Beating the heat smartly. It's critical during these summer months, when working out in the heat and humidity can take a serious toll on your health. Indeed, more people in the United States died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined during a 20-year period ending in 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

William Paca school is too hot for pupils This letter to the editor was also addressed to Jacqueline C. Haas, the Harford County superintendent of education: I am writing to you in regard to the conditions at William Paca Elementary School in Abingdon. I am not normally one to complain, but when it comes to my children that is where I draw the line. William Paca is entirely too hot and has no air conditioning, except in one classroom per grade level. Yes, it does have air conditioning in the administrators' offices, media center and computer lab. The excuse being used is the computers need the air or they will not work.

In Baltimore County 4 firefighters, resident hurt in Lansdowne blaze LANSDOWNE - A blaze yesterday afternoon in Lansdowne sent one man to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and left four firefighters injured, Baltimore County fire officials said. The fire appears to have started about 1:45 p.m. in the basement of a cottage-style home in the 3200 block of Rosalie Road, said Elise Armacost, Fire Department spokeswoman. Firefighters rescued a man from the basement, but his identity had not been released.