ERJHS blended learning: Heat, now a health risk

By BEA CANJA & MARIAN OPAO

E. Rodriguez Jr. High School adapts to blended learning for their students, due to the heat being a major health risk for students and staff. The principal, Mrs. Gina Labor Obierna, released a memo that there will be changes in the schedule, some days will be inperson classes while other days are asynchronous learning.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), 118 cases of heat exhaustion, mostly from high school students, caused by the summer heat—-were recorded on March 9, 2023

Heat Exhaustion can eventually lead to a more severe heat condition called Heat Stroke when not treated immediately. Heat stroke is a condition wherein the body struggles to eject excess heat through sweating.

Scientists discovered in 2022, that the human body can’t withstand high temperatures, and the heat our body can handle may be lower than what they previously thought. Due to the increasing temperatures recorded in different countries, scientists are concerned about the heat tolerance our body has and whether it can withstand high temperatures.

“Over a while, our bodies can adapt to warming climates. Over millennia, humans have weathered many climate shifts. [But] we’re in a time when these shifts are happening much more quickly,” said Vivek Shandas. A climateadaptation scientist from Portland State University in Oregon, US.

In past research, scientists considered that 35°C using a wet bulb is the point where humans can’t tolerate the heat. But new research they conducted, states that in a warm and humid area, the wet bulb temperature is 30°- 31°C, while in a hot and dry area, the wet bulb temperature is lower, ranging from 25°- 28°C. This means that the human body has a lower tolerance for heat than expected.

A wet bulb temperature is measured using a thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth, this is how they measure the theoretical limit a human can tolerate the heat. With the water evaporating from the cloth, it cools down the temperature, this imitates how the human body cools itself using sweat.

Some ERJHS students were reported being sent to the clinic and going home early due to heat exhaustion. With the increased cases of students going to the clinic, teachers advise the students that if they are feeling a bit under the weather, it is a valid reason for them to stay at home and rest.

“Yung main cause talaga ng lagnat ko yung init, I was sweating a lot and mas lumala [yung] headaches ko. As time passed by, yung condition ko lalo lumalala, and [they] called my parents to pick me up” Stated one of the students that was sent to the clinic.

(“ The main cause of my fever was the heat, I was sweating a lot and my headaches worsened [with the heat]. As time passed by, my condition intensified and [they] called my parents to pick me up”)

With the implemented blended learning, the students and teachers can now avoid getting heat-related diseases like heat stroke. DOH advises the public to stay hydrated, dress according to the weather, and stay in places that are cooled—to avoid these instances.