Romanian health officials warn against alcohol consumption during heatwave

Health authorities across Europe caution that drinking alcohol during extreme heat can worsen dehydration and increase the risk of heat‑related illness. The German Federal Institute for Public Health notes that alcohol reduces sweating, dilates blood vessels and can lower blood pressure, leading to dizziness, headaches and potentially dangerous overheating.

In Romania, Prof. Univ. Dr. Radu Ţincu of the Floreasca Clinical Hospital explained that alcohol may trigger neurotoxicity, peripheral vasodilation and cardiac arrhythmias, especially for people on antihypertensive medication or who are already dehydrated. He urged the public to avoid alcohol, stay hydrated with water, limit unnecessary travel, wear light clothing, protect the head from sun exposure and use cooling areas when working outdoors.

The advice follows similar measures taken elsewhere, such as Paris’s temporary ban on public alcohol consumption at a music festival as temperatures reached 40 °C.