DON'T DRY UP LIKE WICKED WITCH
"You killed her! You killed the witch!"
"I didn't mean to kill her. It's just that he was on fire..."
"Hail, hail to Dorothy! The wicked witch is dead!"
And so, throughout the land there was much rejoicing. The people of Oz threw a big bash. Munchkin ale flowed like water. The flying monkeys danced with the Lollipop Guild.
But like most violent television deaths, no mention is made of the investigation and remediation of the incident. That job falls to the Oz Industrial Hygiene (IH) group. Now realize, it is a big deal for these guys. They usually just clean up after that horse of a different color.
Around the still-smoldering remains, the IH responders were floating theories on the cause of the accident. "I think it was clearly a victory of good over evil," said one investigator. "I don't know," another Ozian offered. "Perhaps it was just the withering of her powers, thus she was recalled to the nether regions of Hades."
"Either that or her contract with MGM ran out," quipped the head IH guy.
The medical professional kneeling next to the "goo formerly known as witch" rose and began his analysis. "As coroner I examined her..." Disgusted looks swept over the faces of the other technicians. One of them finally said, "Cut the song and dance and just tell us what happened."
Disheartened, he stated simply, "I think she was just very dehydrated."
As humans, we are mostly water. Sixty percent of a man's body and 50 percent of a women's body is water. We all need to keep our water supply in balance every day. This is especially important in the hot summer months as we work and sweat, soldering headers or horsing a big core out of a truck.
Back in Oz, the doctor continued, "Sure, look, she is all dried up! We should have seen this coming. She had all the classic symptoms: dry
mouth, sunken eyes, lack of tears, wrinkled skin, fatigue and irritability." A call to the Oz hospital revealed more signs of dehydration on the witch's last checkup: low blood pressure, severe thirst, increased heart rate, and reduced or absent urination. "Yeah, she was definitely H 2O challenged," he said.
These same symptoms can pop up in real life as signs that you or your coworkers are not getting enough liquids. Dehydration doesn't happen only in the desert. Profuse sweating and/or continuous exertion in a radiator shop can easily cause dehydration.
Other causes of dehydration include high fever, vomiting or diarrhea that occur when we are sick, overexposure to the sun, use of diuretic drugs that deplete fluids, or simply not drinking enough water during the day.
"And that disappearing in a cloud of smoke doesn't help either, " suggested an Oz responder.
Folks like you and me, as well as wicked witches, need a minimum of eight to 10 cups (64 to 80 ounces) of liquid a day just for our kidneys, liver and nerves to function. That may seem like a lot of liquid, but our bodies need every drop. Our blood is 80 percent water and our cells need that water to work their magic. Hot temperatures and heavy work require increased liquid replenishment over this minimum.
Realize that the liquids do not have to be pure water, but water is what the body utilizes from what we drink, and therefore the best liquid to put back in. Watch out for coffee, liquor and witch's brew, because they tend to make you urinate more, thus losing liquids from your body.
Electrolytes, the salts and minerals dissolved in your blood, are also lost when we sweat. So if you are dehydrating due to excessive perspiration, it is a good idea to imbibe a "sports drink" type refreshment to replenish that mineral balance.
"That explains the crusty white ring around this witch puddle; excreted salts," said one observer. "Either that or it's just fire extinguisher residue after we tried to put that scarecrow out," commented another.
The doctor shook his head and reflected on the cause of the witch's demise. "We should have been able to save this witch by applying ORT, Oral Rehydration Therapy. We should have given her a sports drink and made her eat a banana for potassium. As it got worse, we could have forced a medical rehydration potion, like pedialyte or rehydralyte, down her throat."
"I saw her drinking millerlyte earlier," joked a bystander to a raucous chorus of munchkin giggling. "I'm serious," the doctor said. "I think that group of misfits knew she was in trouble. Why else would `Ruby 2 Shoes' have thrown that bucket of water on her?"
The head of Oz IH tried to gain some insight. "We should all remember this lesson or we'll be his... we'll be his... we'll be history."
So, as you go through your non-fairy tale life, click your heels together and remember to keep your liquid level up. Drink eight to 10 glasses of water or other liquids a day. Replace your electrolytes if you are sweating your way through the day. Keep an eye open for signs of dehydration in yourself and those around you, and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
"She's coming around."
"Dorothy, Dorothy dear!"
"Auntie Em, it's you."
"Now now dear, you just had a bad dream."
"But it wasn't a dream, it was a place... and you, and you... and you and you were there... Auntie Em' can I have a glass of water? I'm really thirsty!"
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
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