| 1. |
- Henriksson, Otto, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Protection against cold in prehospital care : wet clothing removal or addition of a vapor barrier
- 2015
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Ingår i: Wilderness & environmental medicine (Print). - : Elsevier. - 1080-6032 .- 1545-1534. ; 26:1, s. 11-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier in shivering subjects exposed to a cold environment with only limited insulation available.METHODS: Volunteer subjects (n = 8) wearing wet clothing were positioned on a spineboard in a climatic chamber (-18.5°C) and subjected to an initial 20 minutes of cooling followed by 30 minutes of 4 different insulation interventions in a crossover design: 1) 1 woolen blanket; 2) vapor barrier plus 1 woolen blanket; 3) wet clothing removal plus 1 woolen blanket; or 4) 2 woolen blankets. Metabolic rate, core body temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate were continuously monitored, and cold discomfort was evaluated at 5-minute intervals.RESULTS: Wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier significantly reduced metabolic rate (mean difference ± SE; 14 ± 4.7 W/m(2)) and increased skin temperature rewarming (1.0° ± 0.2°C). Increasing the insulation rendered a similar effect. There were, however, no significant differences in core body temperature or heart rate among any of the conditions. Cold discomfort (median; interquartile range) was significantly lower with the addition of a vapor barrier (4; 2-4.75) and with 2 woolen blankets (3.5; 1.5-4) compared with 1 woolen blanket alone (5; 3.25-6).CONCLUSIONS: In protracted rescue scenarios in cold environments with only limited insulation available, wet clothing removal or the use of a vapor barrier is advocated to limit the need for shivering thermogenesis and improve the patient's condition on admission to the emergency department.
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| 2. |
- Kjellström, Tord, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change and occupational heat problems
- 2013
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, Japan. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 51:1, s. 1-2
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 3. |
- Bröde, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Non-evaporative effects of a wet mid layer on heat transfer through protective clothing
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Journal of Applied Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-6327 .- 1439-6319. ; 104:2, s. 341-349
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to assess the non-evaporative components of the reduced thermal insulation of wet clothing, experiments were performed with a manikin and with human subjects in which two layers of underwear separated by an impermeable barrier were worn under an impermeable overgarment at 20 °C, 80% RH and 0.5 ms-1 air velocity. By comparing manikin measurements with dry and wetted mid underwear layer, the increase in heat loss caused by a wet layer kept away from the skin was determined, which turned out to be small (5-6 Wm-2), irrespective of the inner underwear layer being dry or wetted, and was only one third of the evaporative heat loss calculated from weight change, i.e. evaporative cooling efficiency was far below unity. In the experiments with 8 males, each subject participated in two sessions with the mid underwear layer either dry or wetted, where they stood still for the first 30 minutes and then performed treadmill work for 60 minutes. Reduced heat strain due to lower insulation with the wetted mid layer was observed with decreased microclimate and skin temperatures, lowered sweat loss and cardiac strain. Accordingly, total clothing insulation calculated over the walking period from heat balance equations was reduced by 0.02 m2 °C W-1 (16%), while for the standing period the same decrease in insulation, representing 9% reduction only showed up after allowing for the lower evaporative cooling efficiency in the calculations. As evaporation to the environment and inside the clothing was restricted, the observed small alterations may be attributed to the wet mid layer’s increased conductivity, which, however, appears to be of minor importance compared to the evaporative effects in the assessment of the thermal properties of wet clothing.
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| 4. |
- Gao, Chuansi, et al.
(författare)
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Cooling vests with phase change materials: the effects of melting temperature on heat strain alleviation in an extremely hot environment
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Applied Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-6327 .- 1439-6319. ; 111:6, s. 1207-1216
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A previous study by the authors using a heated thermal manikin showed that the cooling rates of phase change material (PCM) are dependent on temperature gradient, mass, and covering area. The objective of this study was to investigate if the cooling effects of the temperature gradient observed on a thermal manikin could be validated on human subjects in extreme heat. The subjects wore cooling vests with PCMs at two melting temperatures (24 and 28°C) and fire-fighting clothing and equipment, thus forming three test groups (vest24, vest28 and control group without the vest). They walked on a treadmill at a speed of 5 km/h in a climatic chamber (air temperature = 55°C, relative humidity = 30%, vapour pressure = 4,725 Pa, and air velocity = 0.4 m/s). The results showed that the PCM vest with a lower melting temperature (24°C) has a stronger cooling effect on the torso and mean skin temperatures than that with a higher melting temperature (28°C). Both PCM vests mitigate peak core temperature increase during the resting recovery period. The two PCM vests tested, however, had no significant effect on the alleviation of core temperature increase during exercise in the heat. To study the possibility of effective cooling of core temperature, cooling garments with PCMs at even lower melting temperatures (e.g. 15°C) and a larger covering area should be investigated.
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| 5. |
- Geng, Q., et al.
(författare)
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Temperature limit values for touching cold surfaces with the fingertip
- 2006
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Ingår i: Annals of Occupational Hygiene. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1475-3162 .- 0003-4878. ; 50:8, s. 851-862
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: At the request of the European Commission and in the framework of the European Machinery Directive, research was performed in five different laboratories to develop specifications for surface temperature limit values for the short-term accidental touching of the fingertip with cold surfaces. Methods: Data were collected in four laboratories with a total of 20 males and 20 females performing a grand total of 1655 exposures. Each touched polished blocks of aluminium, stainless steel, nylon-6 and wood using the distal phalanx of the index finger with a contact force of 1.0, 2.9 and 9.8 N, at surface temperatures from +2 to -40 degrees C for a maximum duration of 120 s. Conditions were selected in order to elicit varying rates of skin cooling upon contact. Contact temperature (T-C) of the fingertip was measured over time using a T-type thermocouple. Results: A database obtained from the experiments was collated and analysed to characterize fingertip contact cooling across a range of materials and surface temperatures. The database was subsequently used to develop a predictive model to describe the contact duration required for skin contact temperature to reach the physiological criteria of onset of pain (15 degrees C), onset of numbness (7 degrees C) and onset of frostbite risk (0 degrees C). Conclusions: The data reflect the strong link between the risk of skin damage and the thermal properties of the material touched. For aluminium and steel, skin temperatures of 0 degrees C occurs within 2-6 s at surface temperatures of -15 degrees C. For non-metallic surfaces, onset of numbness occurs within 15-65 s of contact at -35 degrees C and onset of cold pain occurs within 5 s of contact at -20 degrees C. The predictive model subsequently developed was a non-linear exponential expression also reflecting the effects of material thermal properties and initial temperature. This model provides information for the protection of workers against the risk of cold injury by establishing the temperature limits of cold touchable surfaces for a broad range of materials, and it is now proposed as guidance values in a new international standard.
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| 6. |
- Havenith, George, et al.
(författare)
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Apparent latent heat of evaporation from clothing: attenuation and “heat pipe” effects
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Physiology. - : American Physiological Society. - 1522-1601 .- 8750-7587. ; 104:1, s. 142-149
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Investigating claims that a clothed person’s mass loss does not always represent their evaporative heat loss (EVAP), a thermal manikin study was performed measuring heat balance components in more detail than human studies would permit. Using clothing with different levels of vapor permeability and measuring heat losses from skin controlled at 34°C in ambient temperatures of 10, 20, and 34°C with constant vapor pressure (1 kPa), additional heat losses from wet skin compared with dry skin were analyzed. EVAP based on mass loss (Emass) measurement and direct measurement of the extra heat loss by the manikin due to wet skin (Eapp) were compared. A clear discrepancy was observed. Emass overestimated Eapp in warm environments, and both under and overestimations were observed in cool environments, depending on the clothing vapor permeability. At 34°C, apparent latent heat ((lambda)app) of pure evaporative cooling was lower than the physical value ((lambda); 2,430 J/g) and reduced with increasing vapor resistance up to 45%. At lower temperatures, (lambda)app increases due to additional skin heat loss via evaporation of moisture that condenses inside the clothing, analogous to a heat pipe. For impermeable clothing, (lambda)app even exceeds (lambda) by four times that value at 10°C. These findings demonstrate that the traditional way of calculating evaporative heat loss of a clothed person can lead to substantial errors, especially for clothing with low permeability, which can be positive or negative, depending on the climate and clothing type. The model presented explains human subject data on EVAP that previously seemed contradictive.
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| 7. |
- Havenith, George, et al.
(författare)
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Evaporative Cooling: effective latent heat of evaporation in relation to evaporation distance from the skin
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Physiology. - 1522-1601. ; 114:6, s. 778-785
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Calculation of evaporative heat loss is essential to heat balance calculations. Despite recognition that the value for latent heat of evaporation, used in these calculations, may not always reflect the real cooling benefit to the body, only limited quantitative data on this is available which has found little use in recent literature. In this experiment a thermal manikin (MTNW, Seattle) was used to determine the effective cooling power of moisture evaporation. The manikin measures both heat loss and mass loss independently allowing a direct calculation of an effective latent heat of evaporation (λeff). The location of the evaporation was varied: from the skin or from the underwear or from the outerwear. Outerwear of different permeabilities was used and different numbers of layers were used. Tests took place in 20ºC, 0.5 m.s-1 at different humidities and were performed both dry and with a wet layer allowing the breakdown of heat loss in dry and evaporative components. For evaporation from the skin λeff is close to the theoretical value (2430J.g-1), but starts to drop when more clothing is worn, e.g. by 11% for underwear and permeable coverall. When evaporation is from the underwear, λeff reduction is 28% wearing a permeable outer. When evaporation is from the outermost layer only, the reduction exceeds 62% (no base-layer) increasing towards 80% with more layers between skin and wet outerwear. In semi- and impermeable outerwear the added effect of condensation in the clothing opposes this effect. A general formula for the calculation of λeff was developed.
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| 8. |
- Henriksson, Otto, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Protection against cold in prehospital care : evaporative heat loss reduction by wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapour barrier - a thermal manikin study
- 2012
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Ingår i: Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. - 1049-023X .- 1945-1938. ; 26:6, s. 1-6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: In the prehospital care of a cold and wet person, early application of adequate insulation is of utmost importance to reduce cold stress, limit body core cooling, and prevent deterioration of the patient’s condition. Most prehospital guidelines on protection against cold recommend the removal of wet clothing prior to insulation, and some also recommend the use of a waterproof vapor barrier to reduce evaporative heat loss. However, there is little scientific evidence of the effectiveness of these measures.Objective: Using a thermal manikin with wet clothing, this study was conducted to determine the effect of wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier on thermal insulation and evaporative heat loss using different amounts of insulation in both warm and cold ambient conditions.Methods: A thermal manikin dressed in wet clothing was set up in accordance with the European Standard for assessing requirements of sleeping bags, modified for wet heat loss determination, and the climatic chamber was set to -15 degrees Celsius (°C) for cold conditions and +10°C for warm conditions. Three different insulation ensembles, one, two or seven woollen blankets, were chosen to provide different levels of insulation. Five different test conditions were evaluated for all three levels of insulation ensembles: (1) dry underwear; (2) dry underwear with a vapor barrier; (3) wet underwear; (4) wet underwear with a vapor barrier; and (5) no underwear. Dry and wet heat loss and thermal resistance were determined from continuous monitoring of ambient air temperature, manikin surface temperature, heat flux and evaporative mass loss rate.Results: Independent of insulation thickness or ambient temperature, the removal of wet clothing or the addition of a vapor barrier resulted in a reduction in total heat loss of 19-42%. The absolute heat loss reduction was greater, however, and thus clinically more important in cold environments when little insulation is available. A similar reduction in total heat loss was also achieved by increasing the insulation from one to two blankets or from two to seven blankets.Conclusion: Wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier effectively reduced evaporative heat loss and might thus be of great importance in prehospital rescue scenarios in cold environments with limited insulation available, such as in mass-casualty situations or during protracted evacuations in harsh conditions.
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| 9. |
- Henriksson, Otto, 1976-, et al.
(författare)
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Protection against cold in prehospital care — thermal insulation properties of blankets and rescue bags in different wind conditions
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. ; 24:5, s. 408-415
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: In a cold,wet, or windy environment, cold exposure can be considerable for an injured or ill person. The subsequent autonomous stress response initially will increase circulatory and respiratory demands, and as body core temperature declines, the patient’s condition might deteriorate. Therefore, the application of adequate insulation to reduce cold exposure and prevent body core cooling is an important part of prehospital primary care, but recommendations for what should be used in the field mostly depend on tradition and experience, not on scientific evidence. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermal insulation properties in different wind conditions of 12 different blankets and rescue bags commonly used by prehospital rescue and ambulance services. Methods: The thermal manikin and the selected insulation ensembles were setup inside a climatic chamber in accordance to the modified European Standard for assessing requirements of sleeping bags. Fans were adjusted to provide low (< 0.5 m/s), moderate (2–3 m/s) and high (8–9 m/s) wind conditions. During steady state thermal transfer, the total resultant insulation value, Itr (m2 °C/Wclo; where °C = degrees Celcius, and W = watts), was calculated from ambient air temperature (°C), manikin surface temperature (°C), and heat flux (W/m2). Results: In the low wind condition, thermal insulation of the evaluated ensembles correlated to thickness of the ensembles, ranging from 2.0 to 6.0 clo (1 clo = 0.155 m2 °C/W), except for the reflective metallic foil blankets that had higher values than expected. In moderate and high wind conditions, thermal insulation was best preserved for ensembles that were windproof and resistant to the compressive effect of the wind, with insulation reductions down to about 60–80% of the original insulation capacity, whereas wind permeable and/or lighter materials were reduced down to about 30–50% of original insulation capacity. Conclusions: The evaluated insulation ensembles might all be used for prehospital protection against cold, either as single blankets or in multiple layer combinations, depending on ambient temperatures. However, with extended outdoor, on-scene durations, such as during prolonged extrications or in multiple casualty situations, the results of this study emphasize the importance of using a windproof and compression resistant outer ensemble to maintain adequate insulation capacity.
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| 10. |
- Holmér, Ingvar
(författare)
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Climate change and occupational heat stress: methods for assessment.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Global Health Action. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1654-9880 .- 1654-9716. ; 3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Presumed effects of global warming on occupational heat stress aggravate conditions in many parts of the world, in particular in developing countries. In order to assess and evaluate conditions, heat stress must be described and measured correctly.
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