WASHINGTON — With temperatures expected to hit 90 today, it’s important to take precautions to keep cool.

Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are two common things that can happen with too much heat exposure.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here’s what to look out for:

Heat exhaustion

Heat exhaustion is the body’s response to an excessive loss of water and salt, usually through excessive sweating.

Symptoms

Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

Headache
Nausea
Dizziness
Weakness
Irritability
Thirst
Heavy sweating
Elevated body temperature
Decreased urine output

First aid

Treat a worker who has heat exhaustion by doing the following:

Take worker to a clinic or emergency room for medical evaluation and treatment.
Call 911 if medical care is unavailable.
Have someone stay with the worker until help arrives.
Remove the worker from the hot area and give liquids to drink.
Remove unnecessary clothing, including shoes and socks.
Cool the worker with cold compresses or have the worker wash their head, face, and neck with cold water.
Encourage frequent sips of cool water

Heat stroke

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness. It occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature: the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. When heat stroke occurs, the body temperature can rise to 106°F or higher within 10 to 15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if the person does not receive emergency treatment.

Symptoms

Symptoms of heat stroke include:

Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech
Loss of consciousness (coma)
Hot, dry skin or profuse sweating
Seizures
Very high body temperature
Fatal if treatment delayed

First aid

Take the following steps to treat a worker with heat stroke:

Call 911 for emergency medical care.
Stay with the worker until emergency medical services arrive.
Move the worker to a shaded, cool area and remove outer clothing.
Cool the worker quickly, using the following methods:

With a cold water or ice bath, if possible
Wet the skin
Place cold wet cloths on the skin
Soak clothing with cool water

Circulate the air around the worker to speed cooling.
Place cold wet cloths or ice on the head, neck, armpits, and groin; or soak the clothing with cool water.