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Thermophysiological and Perceptual Responses of Amateur Healthcare Workers: Impacts of Ambient Condition, Inner-Garment Insulation and Personal Cooling Strategy

Author

Listed:
  • Yingying Zhao

    (School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Meng Su

    (School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Xin Meng

    (School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Jiying Liu

    (School of Thermal Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101, China)

  • Faming Wang

    (Department of Biosystems, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3001 Leuven, Belgium)

Abstract

While personal protective equipment (PPE) protects healthcare workers from viruses, it also increases the risk of heat stress. In this study, the effects of environmental heat stress, the insulation of the PPE inner-garment layer, and the personal cooling strategy on the physiological and perceptual responses of PPE-clad young college students were evaluated. Three levels of wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT = 15 °C, 28 °C, and 32 °C) and two types of inner garments (0.37 clo and 0.75 clo) were chosen for this study. In an uncompensable heat stress environment (WBGT = 32 °C), the effects of two commercially available personal cooling systems, including a ventilation cooling system (VCS) and an ice pack cooling system (ICS) on the heat strain mitigation of PPE-clad participants were also assessed. At WBGT = 15 °C with 0.75 clo inner garments, mean skin temperatures were stabilized at 31.2 °C, H skin was 60–65%, and HR was about 75.5 bpm, indicating that the working scenario was on the cooler side. At WBGT = 28 °C, T skin plateaued at approximately 34.7 °C, and the participants reported “hot” thermal sensations. The insulation reduction in inner garments from 0.75 clo to 0.37 clo did not significantly improve the physiological thermal comfort of the participants. At WBGT = 32 °C, T skin was maintained at 35.2–35.7 °C, H skin was nearly 90% RH, T core exceeded 37.1 °C, and the mean HR was 91.9 bpm. These conditions indicated that such a working scenario was uncompensable, and personal cooling to mitigate heat stress was required. Relative to that in NCS (no cooling), the mean skin temperatures in ICS and VCS were reduced by 0.61 °C and 0.22 °C, respectively, and the heart rates were decreased by 10.7 and 8.5 bpm, respectively. Perceptual responses in ICS and VCS improved significantly throughout the entire field trials, with VCS outperforming ICS in the individual cooling effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Yingying Zhao & Meng Su & Xin Meng & Jiying Liu & Faming Wang, 2022. "Thermophysiological and Perceptual Responses of Amateur Healthcare Workers: Impacts of Ambient Condition, Inner-Garment Insulation and Personal Cooling Strategy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2022:i:1:p:612-:d:1019481
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claudia Westermann & Nika Zielinski & Christiane Altenburg & Madeleine Dulon & Olaf Kleinmüller & Jan Felix Kersten & Albert Nienhaus, 2022. "Prevalence of Adverse Skin Reactions in Nursing Staff Due to Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-14, October.
    2. Mariana Aparicio Betancourt & Andrea Duarte-Díaz & Helena Vall-Roqué & Laura Seils & Carola Orrego & Lilisbeth Perestelo-Pérez & Jaime Barrio-Cortes & María Teresa Beca-Martínez & Almudena Molina Serr, 2022. "Global Healthcare Needs Related to COVID-19: An Evidence Map of the First Year of the Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-23, August.
    3. Coen C. W. G. Bongers & Johannus Q. de Korte & Mike Zwartkruis & Koen Levels & Boris R. M. Kingma & Thijs M. H. Eijsvogels, 2022. "Heat Strain and Use of Heat Mitigation Strategies among COVID-19 Healthcare Workers Wearing Personal Protective Equipment—A Retrospective Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-11, February.
    4. Alessandro Messeri & Michela Bonafede & Emma Pietrafesa & Iole Pinto & Francesca de’Donato & Alfonso Crisci & Jason Kai Wei Lee & Alessandro Marinaccio & Miriam Levi & Marco Morabito & on behalf of th, 2021. "A Web Survey to Evaluate the Thermal Stress Associated with Personal Protective Equipment among Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-21, April.
    5. Jimmy Lee & Vidhya Venugopal & P K Latha & Sharifah Badriyah Alhadad & Clarence Hong Wei Leow & Nicholas Yong De Goh & Esther Tan & Tord Kjellstrom & Marco Morabito & Jason Kai Wei Lee, 2020. "Heat Stress and Thermal Perception amongst Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in India and Singapore," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-12, November.
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