Food Poisoning
Summer is the season of communal and outdoor cooking, leaving about 48 million Americans with food poisoning, and 128,000 hospitalized due to foodborne illness.
Tip: Cook and grill meats thoroughly, keep food prep surfaces clean and sanitized, and don’t leave food out in warm temperatures where food bacteria tend to grow.
Sunburn
The sun’s ultraviolet rays are powerful, which leaves everyone at risk for painful and damaging sunburn and associated skin blistering and cancer—regardless of skin type.
Tip: Apply 30+ sunscreen every few hours, more often following a swim or sweaty day. Wear a wide-brimmed hat, dark sunglasses, and seek shady spots for added sun protection.
Contaminated Public Swimming
The great thing about public swimming areas—like the community pool or beach—is that everyone can take a cool refreshing dip on hot summer days. However, shared swimming spaces are often rife with water contaminated with all sorts of bacteria that can live for days and cause all sorts of skin, eye, gastrointestinal, and inner ear chaos and infections if accidently absorbed by the skin, or worse, swallowed.
Tip: be sure to take a thorough shower both before and after swimming.
Heat Stroke
Heat is a real killer—causing roughly 700 heat-related deaths annually in the U.S.
Tip: All age groups can suffer heat stroke. If you feel cramps, exhaustion, and rash set in, take a break, find a shady spot, and hydrate immediately. Drink more water and take it easy on hot, humid days.
