Here comes the sun (and the dust!) Published April 5, 2014 By Senior Master Sgt. Burke Baker 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs SOUTHWEST ASIA -- It's about to get hot. Very hot. The month of April marks the end of spring and herald's the beginnings of the long summer here, bringing hot and dusty days ahead. Airmen need to be prepared for that heat and dust. Temperatures here can soar well over 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer months. Sandstorms and very hot winds in June and July are common, and the air usually stays dry until August or September, when the humidity rises. The key, according to the ground safety office for the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, is to stay hydrated and use the proper PPE to protect yourself. "If you are out in the hot, windy, sandy areas, you need to be smart," said Tech. Sgt. David Mace, NCO-in-charge of ground safety. "Wear your hats, proper eye protection for the occasion, and of course, stay hydrated." Mace says Airmen should plan to reduce exertion and increase rest times during the hottest times of the day. Proper clothing and sunscreen should also be used. "Being too hot for too long can cause many symptoms all categorized as hyperthermia," he said. "These symptoms are, but not limited to: dizziness, muscle cramps, thirst, weakness or fatigue, rapid pulse, and many more. The major problem is that most people tend to ignore the signs until it's too late. Airmen need to pay attention and catch these signs early." According to Dr. (Maj.) Rowena Reyes with the 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, heat injuries occur when your body temperature rises above normal, or when your body is no longer able to regulate body temperature through insensate losses. "If Airmen are dehydrated the best thing to do is drink more water and remove their outer layers of clothing," she said. If they are having signs of heat exhaustion it would be best to seek medical attention." Heat injuries are generally defined in three stages: dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. Dehydration is the first stage of a heat injury. It's the mildest form in which your body simply suffers from a lack of fluid. Heat exhaustion is the next step beyond dehydration. If not treated immediately, serious injury to include death, can result. The worst stage of a heat injury is heat stroke. This is the most serious form and without proper medical attention, a victim can die within minutes. Mace urges Airmen to prevent the likelihood of the more serious stages by ensuring proper hydration. "It's actually pretty easy to monitor your level of hydration if you're paying attention," he said. "The color of your urine tells you the level of your of body's hydration. If you are dehydrated, your urine becomes very dark in color. In more severe cases it can be a dark brown. However, if your body is fully hydrated, your urine will either be a very light color or clear." Reyes advises Airmen to seek immediate medical attention if they are unable to drink water themselves or are showing symptoms of severe dehydration or heat exhaustion. In addition to high temperatures, blowing sand and dust storms are more frequent during the summer months, causing an increase in eye injuries and respiratory issues. The sand and dust can irritate the skin and sensitive membranes of the eyes, nose, and throat, and aggravate pre -existing sinus and asthmatic conditions. Typical symptoms may include coughing, runny nose, eye and throat irritation, and shortness of breath. "I anticipate seeing a lot of eye injuries in general," said Reyes. "The most common complaint seen during the dust storms are foreign bodies (sand in the eyes) and not normally corneal abrasions. After proper irrigation most patients are released without issues or vision difficulty," she said. Reyes said the problem comes when Airmen compound their problems by wearing unauthorized contact lenses as the trapped dirt from the lenses becomes embedded in the eye causes either ulcerations or rust rings. In that instance, "they will need to be seen by an optometrist," she said. The ground safety office advises Airmen to wear a neck gator or scarf and googles on windy days. The worst thing you can do, according to Mace, is to rub your eyes if you feel like you have something in them. "The eye is essentially self-cleaning," said Mace. "The best action to take for removal of any foreign object, is to flush your eye with water. Most often eye/corneal abrasions are due to the person rubbing their eyes to get the object/sand out." Airmen are also advised against exercising outside during high temperatures or dusty days. For more information about preventing heat or eye injuries, please contact the 386th AEW Ground Safety office, or the 386th EMDG Clinic.