TRIPLE-DIGIT TROUBLES; WITH VALLEY TEMPERATURES SOARING, DON'T LET SUMMER HEAT MAKE YOU SICK.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer

It wasn't even 10 a.m., but sweat was pouring down Noe Pimentel's face from under his hard hat as he stood in the hot Valley sun, watching an even hotter crewman digging to expose a faulty water main.

Replacing a water pipe in Canoga Park on a day when temperatures climbed to 109 degrees wasn't in the job description, but it's something these men from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have learned to live with.

``We're so used to it now,'' Pimentel said. ``It's an everyday occurrence in the summer. But we're careful. We gear up for it. We dress for it - I've got shorts on under this cotton jumpsuit - and we drink plenty of water, about 5 gallons a day for the five of us. No sense in getting sick when you can prevent it.''

That's exactly what doctors say, emphasizing that people should do what animals instinctively do when it's hot: Slow down, rest as much as you can, eat lightly and drink plenty of fluids.

Fortunately, people who labor hard in the heat - construction workers, farmers, cooks, those who work in a laundry, the people who repave streets with hot asphalt - are probably the best at protecting themselves from its effects.

``We have safety meetings every week, and the supervisors tell us what the weather is going to be and what kinds of precautions to take,'' said Pimentel. ``I keep an eye on my men to make sure they're not getting pale or sweating too much (signs of heat exhaustion) and that they drink enough water. And I make sure they rest a lot. If we need to dig in the hole, we all take turns so nobody gets overheated.''

Those who are in the most danger from the heat, say medical experts, are the elderly, who - because of age-dulled perceptions or the effects of the medications they take - can have trouble gauging temperature changes, and infants, who can't communicate the distress they feel when the temperatures climb.

``Elderly people have the risk for a really bad outcome,'' said Dr. Joseph Beezy, an emergency room physician in Kaiser Permanente's Panorama City clinic. ``I remember one elderly man a year or two ago who was found unconscious on the back seat of an un-air-conditioned bus. He was wearing a heavy, cable-knit sweater, even though it was over 100 degrees. He probably always wore that sweater and didn't even think about the weather.''

Most people realize when they're getting overheated and can cool themselves down by taking a cool shower, resting in an air-conditioned room and drinking cool drinks, Beezy said.

But a few inevitably fail - or don't know - to take precautions.

Of the more than 185 people who died in the heat wave that scorched the Midwest and most of the East earlier this summer, about 80 percent of them were 60 or older, said authorities.

To avoid becoming dangerously overheated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges elderly people to spend as much time as they can in air-conditioned surroundings - even if that means going to a movie, a senior center or a shopping mall - and encourages friends and relatives to check on older people on especially hot days to make sure they're not suffering dangerously from the heat.

Parents should also keep a careful watch over their children, particularly infants, who can lose a large percentage of their body fluids when they sweat excessively, said Dr. Mary Hardy, director of the Integrative Medicine Medical Group at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Too much fluid loss can throw a baby into shock or worse; 19 infants died in hot cars nationwide last summer, according to the National SAFE KIDS campaign.

Studies have found that on a day when temperatures climb to 93 degrees, the temperature inside a closed car - even with the windows cracked to let in a little air - can climb to 125 degrees within 20 minutes, and to 140 degrees within 40 minutes.

``You say, `Oh, I just need to run into the store,' but what seems like a very short time to us is long enough to do a lot of damage,'' Hardy said.

Even if you're a strong adult, it's important not to overdo exercise when the temperature climbs near the century mark, the doctors emphasized.

``Athletes just don't want to stop to accommodate the weather; they just want to keep going, and that can be dangerous,'' said Hardy, who treated many overheated athletes when she trained at Tufts University Hospital, near the finish line for the Boston Marathon.

Actor Martin Lawrence nearly died Aug. 22 when he lost consciousness while trying to lose weight by jogging in heavy clothing in the summer heat, said officials at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

The 34-year-old star of syndicated sitcom ``Martin'' and the lead in upcoming movie ``Blue Streak'' was sprawled on his own doorstep when his girlfriend discovered him. He had a body temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit and lapsed into a coma that lasted three days before he regained consciousness, according to hospital officials.

Under normal circumstances, a human's body temperature stays right around 98.6 degrees. When it gets hotter, your body automatically rids itself of excess heat. You begin to sweat, and that moisture cools you down, according to the CDC.

Also, your heart begins to pump more blood, blood vessels expand to accommodate the increased flow, and the capillaries that thread through the upper layers of your skin begin to fill with blood so the excess heat is lost to the cooler environment around you.

But if you get too hot and don't take steps to cool down, your body's cooling system just can't keep up on its own, Beezy said.

With more blood close to the surface of the skin, less goes to the muscles, and you may experience muscle cramping. Less blood also goes to the brain, and that can cause dizziness and confusion, or even fainting.

``Eventually, what occurs is disseminated intravascular coagulation,'' Beezy said. ``Every organ is affected. There is less fluid in your body, so there's less fluid in your blood. So there are little blood clots everywhere. The blood that continues to circulate can't clot, so there's internal bleeding. Because of low fluid volume, your kidneys shut down. Your muscles break down, and that gums up your kidneys even more. This is what kills people. Dying from the heat is pretty rare, but it does happen.''

How do you know when you're dangerously hot?

Pay attention to your body, the doctors counsel. Are you weak? Dizzy? Suddenly very tired? Is your skin either pale or flushed, clammy or cool? Do you have a headache? Do you feel nauseated? Do you feel like you could faint?

Those are classic symptoms of heat exhaustion, Hardy said.

And they're nature's way of telling you it's too darned hot and that you should slow down. Sit or lie down in a cool place, mop your face and arms with a cool cloth (perhaps with a dash of peppermint oil for extra cooling power) and drink fluids, Hardy advised.

While water can keep you from getting dehydrated, once you feel symptoms of heat exhaustion, that means you've lost too much sodium, which holds fluids in the body, guarding against dehydration. You need to replenish that sodium with either water containing a pinch of salt, a water-juice-pinch-of-salt mixture or a bottled sports drink with electrolytes, she said.

(People who suffer from high blood pressure, or who take diuretic medications, should check with their doctors before ingesting salt, she warned.)

If you haven't heeded your body's warnings, more serious heatstroke could occur as your body's cooling mechanisms become inadequate. A heatstroke victim's skin is hot, usually dry, red or spotted; body temperature may soar to 105 degrees. A person with heatstroke becomes mentally confused, delirious and may suffer convulsions, according to the CDC.

Unless the victim receives quick medical treatment - which can include receiving ice water intravenously, having ice water pumped into his stomach and being packed in ice to quickly bring down his temperature - he could die, Beezy said.

``Most people in the Valley will be uncomfortable in the heat, but they've got the sense to take care of themselves,'' he said. ``One thing I've noticed is that so many people in the Valley carry water bottles with them and drink all day. I think that's a uniquely Valley thing. People in other areas don't do that. If they did, maybe they wouldn't have as many problems with the heat.''

Ways to keep your cool

Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from heat exhaustion or heatstroke during the Valley's late but hot summer:

Wear lightweight but tightly woven, light-colored clothing that's loose-fitting to protect you from the sun yet provide room to enjoy a breeze.

Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water. People working in hot places, or in the hot sun, should drink 5 to 7 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes.

If you must work in the heat, take several days to acclimate yourself, and you'll be less uncomfortable.

Frequent short rest periods will keep you from overheating if you must work outdoors.

If you exercise, garden or do heavy work outside at home, try to do it in the early morning or late evening hours. Avoid strenuous activity between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun is at its hottest.

If you're sweating a lot, eat pickles, potato chips, pretzels or other salty foods to guard against dehydration.

Sources: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo: (1) Casey Gordon does the right thing - drinking lots of water - during a preseason football practice at Canyon Country High School.

David Crane/Staff Photographer

(2) DWP worker Rudy Duran wears clothing that provides ample protection from the sun while working on a water main in Canoga Park.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(3 -- color -- cover) Exercise caution when temperatures hit triple digits

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer