Nobody was prepared for the heat wave that brought record highs of 38 to 42 degrees Celsius to Ukraine this summer. Those vacationing in Ukraine say that even the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, as well as the Dnieper, do not bring relief because the water temperature is reaching the 30-degree mark. US scientists warned two months ago that this was going to be the hottest summer in the past 100 years, yet nobody in Ukraine was seriously preparing for such high temperatures: our apartments and office rooms are not equipped with conditioners; people, especially the chronically ill, are complaining about the heat. And if you do not have a conditioner at home, an air-conditioned car, or a conditioner at your workplace, the heat is a true ordeal for you and your health. Doctors say the frequency of ambulance calls rises by 20 percent in sizzling weather. As a rule, ambulances rush first of all to those who have cardiovascular pathologies.
But while many people simply wait for cooler days, others shoulder a double, if not a triple, burden of working in the heat. This is especially true of intellectual work — it has been proven that it takes the body seven days to recuperate after continuous physical work and 14 days after intellectual tension. Ukraine’s Ministry for Public Health recently advised employers to extend the lunch break or to cut short the working day, depending on indoor temperatures. For example, if the temperature exceeds the admissible norm of 28 degrees Celsius by one degree, the working day should last six hours. But this is unlikely to produce an effect: firstly, Ukrainians are workaholics, and, secondly, where can one go? It is scorching hot everywhere… Yet there are some ways to fight the heat, one must only know how. Experts advise to drink as much water as possible, provided the water is of high quality.
