Insider
Summer
HEATWAVE: HEAVEN
OR HELLISH?
As Brits, there is nothing we enjoy more than a summer heat-
wave and everything that comes with it, but what is the im-
pact on the environment and ourselves? Could it cause more
harm than good? Amy Cannon
It is common
knowledge that be-
ing British means
being obsessed with
the weather, always
focusing on it being
amazing or horren-
dous. As we ap-
proach summertime,
we can expect to
hear the Daily Ex-
press declaring that
this will be the hot-
test summer for 50
years and we will
experience weeks of
scorching heat. For
most of us, this is
cause for celebra-
tion, however, are
there hidden dan-
gers we are unaware
of?
One of the great
things about a heat-
wave is that it
means you can
spend all day out-
doors and have
quality time with
friends and family.
In Britain we have
amazing beaches
and national parks
which are usually
desolate in winter,
so in a heatwave
these are the perfect
places to go to appreciate
the natural features of our
country. As well as this,
summertime is usually a suc-
cessful time for the econo-
my, and certain businesses
that rely on there being a
decent British summer such
as coastal tourism, outdoor
restaurants and holiday
camps.
On a more serious note, re-
cent statistics have con-
firmed one in five people liv-
ing in the UK have low vita-
min D levels, leading to
bone deformities and pain in
adults and children. Our pri-
mary source of vitamin D is
from the sun, so when expe-
riencing a heatwave it is
much easier for people to be
exposed to vitamin D and ab-
sorb it, displaying an exam-
ple of why a heatwave can be
beneficial to the public.
Despite all these positives,
there an equal number of
negatives that can impact us.
One of the most recently
publicised ones is the over-
whelming risk of skin cancer.
Statistics from Cancer Re-
search UK recorded that on
average there 16,000 new
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