Safety in Extreme Heat: Protecting Every Generation

Why UK Heatwaves Are a Real Safety Issue

The UK is not a tropical country, and its housing stock, infrastructure, and social habits are not designed for sustained high temperatures. This matters because when extreme heat arrives, as it does with increasing frequency, homes that are difficult to keep warm in winter can become dangerously hot in summer, and a population that is not culturally accustomed to heat-related illness may not recognise the warning signs until they are serious.

The 2022 heatwave in the UK, during which temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius for the first time on record, was associated with over 3,000 excess deaths. Most of those who died were elderly, but heat illness can affect people of all ages. Understanding who is most at risk and what to do about it is genuinely life-saving knowledge.

Who Is Most Vulnerable to Heat Illness?

Certain groups face significantly elevated risk during heatwaves. Older adults, particularly those over 75, are at greatest risk. The ability to thermoregulate, the body's capacity to manage its own temperature, declines with age, and older people are less likely to feel thirsty even when dehydrated. Many older adults also take medications that affect heat tolerance, including diuretics, antihypertensives, and antipsychotics.

Very young children, especially babies and toddlers, are also highly vulnerable. They cannot regulate their temperature as effectively as adults, cannot remove clothing or move to a cooler environment without help, and may not communicate thirst before they become dehydrated.

People with chronic health conditions including heart disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease, and diabetes face elevated risk. People with mental health conditions, particularly those taking certain medications, are also at higher risk and may be less likely to take protective action. Those who work or exercise outdoors, or who live in top-floor flats or poorly ventilated buildings, face additional exposure.

Understanding Heat-Related Illness

Heat illness exists on a spectrum from mild to life-threatening. Knowing where someone is on that spectrum determines the urgency of the response.

Heat cramps are muscle spasms caused by fluid and salt loss through sweating. They are painful but not dangerous on their own. Rest in a cool place and drink water or a sports drink.

Heat exhaustion is more serious. Symptoms include heavy sweating, cold, pale, and clammy skin, fast and weak pulse, nausea or vomiting, muscle cramps, tiredness and weakness, dizziness, and headache. Move the person to a cool environment immediately, have them lie down with their legs elevated slightly, apply cool, wet cloths to the skin, and give them water to drink if they are conscious and able to swallow. Heat exhaustion can progress to heatstroke if not treated promptly.

Heatstroke is a medical emergency. It occurs when the body's temperature rises to 40 degrees Celsius or above and the cooling system fails. Signs include hot, red, dry, or damp skin, a rapid and strong pulse, confusion or unconsciousness, and an absence of sweating despite the heat. Call 999 immediately. While waiting, move the person to a cool environment, cool them rapidly using whatever is available, including cool water, ice packs to the armpits and groin, or a fan, and do not give fluids to someone who is unconscious or confused.

Keeping Your Home Cool

UK homes are typically built to retain heat rather than repel it, which makes heat management during a heatwave a genuine challenge. A few strategies make a significant difference.

Keep windows and curtains closed during the day to block out sunlight and solar heat, and open them at night when the outside temperature drops below the indoor temperature. This is the opposite of what feels intuitive but is far more effective. Top-floor rooms heat up most severely; if possible, move sleeping arrangements to a lower floor during a heatwave.

Electric fans are useful but do not cool air. They cool the body by increasing sweat evaporation. In rooms where the air temperature is above body temperature, a fan can actually increase heat stress rather than reduce it. In this situation, using the fan alongside a bowl of cool water or ice, or hanging a damp sheet in front of it, increases the cooling effect.

Keep a thermometer in your main living space. The UK Health Security Agency recommends keeping the home below 25 degrees Celsius and regards temperatures above 35 degrees as a health emergency.

Checking on Others During a Heatwave

One of the simplest and most effective public health interventions during a heatwave is checking on vulnerable neighbours, friends, and relatives. Older people who live alone are particularly at risk of dying from heat illness unnoticed, and a regular check-in during a period of extreme heat costs very little and can save a life.

If you are concerned about someone who seems unwell during a heatwave, take it seriously. Heat illness can progress from discomfort to life-threatening condition within hours. If someone is confused, unresponsive, or appears to be in distress in the heat, call 999.

Staying Safe Outdoors in the Heat

Avoid being outdoors during the hottest part of the day, typically between 11am and 3pm in UK summer weather. If you must be outside, wear a hat, lightweight and light-coloured loose clothing, and high-factor sun cream. Drink regularly, aiming for at least two litres of water throughout the day, more if you are sweating heavily.

Never leave children or animals in a parked car in warm weather, even for a short time. Car interiors can reach dangerous temperatures within minutes of parking in sunshine, and children and animals can die from heatstroke in these conditions. If you see a child or animal locked in a hot car, call 999 immediately.