Summer has arrived and with it soaring temperatures. As beautiful as warm weather can be, it also comes with some dangers.
Especially in the car, the heat quickly becomes unbearable and a health hazard. It can even be deadly for children, as dramatic incidents repeatedly show. “Children perspire proportionately more and lose fluid faster,” explains Primaria Dr. Edda Haberlandt, Chief of Pediatrics at Dornbirn Hospital. As a result, heat builds up, the circulatory system collapses, and the child can die in a very short time. “Children, therefore, should never be left in the car”, warns the doctor. This also applies if only small tasks have to be taken care of. While not wanting to wake a sleeping child is a good intention, it’s a bad decision, especially as the car’s interior heats up very quickly. “It’s often underestimated how fast this is happening,” says Haberlandt. In a very short time, the temperature in the back of the car can rise from 20 to over 50 degrees and be fatal for the little ones. “A pedestrian who discovers a child in a closed car should call the police as soon as possible”, emphasizes Edda Haberlandt.
What applies to children when the car is hot also applies to animals.