BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — Two Kern County residents have died this summer in cases linked to extreme heat, according to the Kern County Coroner’s Office.
The coroner’s office said one person died following heat exposure during an incident July 7 in California City. That person was taken to a Bakersfield hospital and died about two weeks later. The death is being investigated as an environmental exposure.
File: A construction worker hydrates at the Shedd Aquarium Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, as a second straight day of hot soupy temperatures approaching triple digits hung over much of the Midwest in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
The coroner’s office also reported the death of a 32-year-old Bakersfield resident who died June 24 because of dehydration due to heat exposure.
With more hot weather ahead, Dr. William Franklin of Adventist Health said heat illness can progress quickly and become deadly if it is not recognized early. Dehydration, he said, can disrupt electrolytes and affect the heart and circulation.
“Those things can get out of balance, causing problems for your heart. Also, you don’t have enough pressure within your circulatory system to maintain upright posture, even,” Franklin said.
Franklin said heat illnesses start with heat exposure and can progress to dehydration, heat exhaustion and, most severely, heat stroke.
“A lot of times, that doesn’t even get recognized until people start seizing, and then, you know, they’re unconscious,” Franklin said.
He said when the body can no longer cool itself, extreme heat can begin damaging cells.
FILE – Triple digit heat heading to the Valley this week (Photo: AdobeStock)
“The proteins and cells in your body are used to a fairly narrow range of temperatures. So once your body goes above that and cannot cool itself, you start to see the proteins will start to break apart. They’re not functioning anymore,” Franklin said.
That damage can lead to organ failure, including in the brain and liver, he said.
“But also, even just in all their tissues, the cells are gonna start to deteriorate, because they can no longer maintain their integrity at that high body temperature,” Franklin said.
Franklin urged people to take steps to prevent heat illness before it becomes severe.
“Be overly proactive and be vigilant. You know, don’t even wait till you start to feel a little dehydrated. Just make sure you’re actively drinking when you’re out in this heat,” he said.
He also said that if someone becomes confused, starts making unusual mistakes, or is not acting like themselves, they should be moved somewhere cool and medical help should be sought.