The body's blood is circulated closer to the skin's surface, and excess heat drains off into the cooler atmosphere. At the same time, water diffuses through the skin as perspiration. The skin handles about 90 percent of the body's heat dissipating function. When heat gain exceeds the level the body can remove, or when the body cannot compensate for fluids and salt lost through perspiration, the temperature of the body's inner core begins to rise and heat-related illness may develop. Sunburn, with its ultraviolet radiation burns, can significantly retard the skin's ability to shed excess heat.
Acclimatization has to do with adjusting sweat-salt concentrations, among other things.
The idea is to lose enough water to regulate body temperature, with the least possible chemical disturbance. The stagnant atmospheric conditions of the heat wave trap pollutants in urban areas and add the stresses of severe pollution to the already dangerous stresses of hot weather, creating a health problem of undiscovered dimensions. A map of heat-related deaths in St. Louis during 1966, for example, shows a heavier concentration in the crowded alleys and towers of the inner city, where air quality would also be poor during a heat wave. While air-conditioning may be a luxury in normal times, it can be a lifesaver during heat wave conditions. The cost of cool air moves steadily higher, adding what appears to be a cruel economic side to heat wave fatalities.