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Summer heat, pollution add risk to outdoor activities

By: Stephanie Baker
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Temperatures soared into the triple digits Wednesday, and very little wind meant pollution got trapped.

Summertime means heading outdoors. That can mean lots of running around in triple digit temperatures.

Physical activity raises your internal temperature past 98.6 degrees. Add in the hundred degree heat and the humidity and it feels like 105.

Olympic soccer player Shannon McMillan runs a soccer camp for young athletes.

"I'm not used to this heat," she says. "Being from San Diego, the heat is like hitting a brick wall."

You can see it steaming up from the streets.

Asphalt soaks up the sun, keeping the heat close to the ground.

The air quality is another issue.

Columbia County Emergency Services director Pam Tucker says that's not just a risk for people with preexisting medical conditions. Healthy people will probably feel the effects as well.

"This is not a day for a walk, much less strenuous activity in this weather," Tucker says.

That's why McMillan is keeping a close eye on the kids.

"These young ones will go till they drop," she says.

That's why lots of water and breaks in the shade are important if you're spending time under the summer sun.

Remember, just because it's dark outside doesn't mean the danger has passed.

There's something called "Urban Heat Island Effect". That's when the heat stored in the concrete slowly releases throughout the night, which produces higher than normal nighttime temperatures.

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