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- Lundgren-Kownacki, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Climate change-induced heat risks for migrant populations working at brick kilns in India : a transdisciplinary approach
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Biometeorology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0020-7128 .- 1432-1254. ; 62:3, s. 347-358
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the summer of 2015, India was hit by a scorching heat wave that melted pavements in Delhi and caused thousands of deaths, mainly among the most marginalized populations. One such group facing growing heat risks from both occupational and meteorological causes are migrant brick kiln workers. This study evaluates both current heat risks and the potential future impacts of heat caused by climate change, for the people working at brick kilns in India. A case study of heat stress faced by people working at brick kilns near Chennai, India, is the anchor point around which a transdisciplinary approach was applied. Around Chennai, the situation is alarming since occupational heat exposure in the hot season from March to July is already at the upper limits of what humans can tolerate before risking serious impairment. The aim of the study was to identify new pathways for change and soft solutions by both reframing the problem and expanding the solution space being considered in order to improve the quality of life for the migrant populations at the brick kilns. Technical solutions evaluated include the use of sun-dried mud bricks and other locally “appropriate technologies” that could mitigate the worsening of climate change-induced heat. Socio-cultural solutions discussed for empowering the people who work at the brick kilns include participatory approaches such as open re-localization, and rights-based approaches including the environmental sustainability and the human rights-based approach framework. Our analysis suggests that an integrative, transdisciplinary approach could incorporate a more holistic range of technical and socio-culturally informed solutions in order to protect the health of people threatened by India’s brick kiln industry.
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- Lundgren-Kownacki, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring how a traditional diluted yoghurt drink may mitigate heat strain during medium-intensity intermittent work: a multidisciplinary study of occupational heat strain
- 2018
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Ingår i: Industrial Health. - : National Institute of Industrial Health. - 0019-8366 .- 1880-8026. ; 56:2, s. 106-121
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- It is common practice in India to consume the dairy drink buttermilk as a way of mitigating occupational heat strain. This paper explores the thermoregulatory and hydration benefits of drinking buttermilk but also the impacts of work in a hot environment on the gut microbiota, renal and cognitive function. Twelve healthy participants were subjected to a 3-h period of medium load physical intermittent work in a climatic chamber (34 degrees C, 60% RH). The subjects were given water, buttermilk (700 ml) or no rehydration at random. Mean body temperatures when no rehydration was given were significantly higher (p <= 0.001). When subjects drank water or buttermilk they had a lower sweat rate than with no rehydration (p <= 0.05) and the perception of feeling hot, uncomfortable, thirsty and physically exerted was significantly reduced (p <= 0.05). A hormonal stress response at the end of the exposure was seen when not drinking (p <= 0.05). No differences in cognitive abilities and gut microbiota were found. The exposure lowered the renal blood flow suggesting an acute impact of short term heat exposure. It was also found that buttermilk has a protective effect on this impact. Our results demonstrated that keeping hydrated by water/buttermilk consumption mitigates heat strain in well-nourished subjects.
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- Lundgren Kownacki, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Heat stress in indoor environments of Scandinavian urban areas : A literature review
- 2019
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1660-4601. ; 16:560
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change increases the risks of heat stress, especially in urban areas where urban heat islands can develop. This literature review aims to describe how severe heat can occur and be identified in urban indoor environments, and what actions can be taken on the local scale. There is a connection between the outdoor and the indoor climate in buildings without air conditioning, but the pathways leading to the development of severe heat levels indoors are complex. These depend, for example, on the type of building, window placement, the residential area’s thermal outdoor conditions, and the residents’ influence and behavior. This review shows that only few studies have focused on the thermal environment indoors during heat waves, despite the fact that peoplecommonly spend most of their time indoors and are likely to experience increased heat stress Indoors in the future. Among reviewed studies, it was found that the indoor temperature can reach levels 50% higher in C than the outdoor temperature, which highlights the importance of assessment and remediation of heat indoors. Further, most Heat-Health Warning Systems (HHWS) are based on the outdoor climate only, which can lead to a misleading interpretation of the health effects and associated solutions. In order to identify severe heat, six factors need to be taken into account, including air temperature, heat radiation, humidity, and air movement as well as the physical activity and the clothes worn by the individual. Heat stress can be identified using a heat index that includes these six factors. This paper presents some examples of practical and easy to use heat indices that are relevant for indoor environments as well as models that can be applied in indoor environments at the city level. However, existing indexes are developed for healthy workers and do not account for vulnerable groups, different uses, and daily variations. As a result, this paper highlights the needfor the development of a heat index or the adjustment of current thresholds to apply specifically to indoor environments, its different uses, and vulnerable groups. There are several actions that can be taken to reduce heat indoors and thus improve the health and well-being of the population in urbanareas. Examples of effective measures to reduce heat stress indoors include the use of shading devices such as blinds and vegetation as well as personal cooling techniques such as the use of fans and cooling vests. Additionally, the integration of innovative Phase Change Materials (PCM) into facades, roofs, floors, and windows can be a promising alternative once no negative health and environmental effects of PCM can be ensured.
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- Lundgren Kownacki, Karin, et al.
(författare)
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Human responses in heat – comparison of the Predicted Heat Strain and the Fiala multi-node model for a case of intermittent work.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Thermal Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-4565. ; 70, s. 45-52
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Two mathematical models of human thermal regulation include the rational Predicted Heat Strain (PHS) and the thermophysiological model by Fiala. The approaches of the models are different, however, they both aim at providing predictions of the thermophysiological responses to thermal environments of an average person. The aim of this study was to compare and analyze predictions of the two models against experimental data. The analysis also includes a gender comparison. The experimental data comprised of ten participants (5 males, 5 females, average anthropometric values were used as input) conducting an intermittent protocol of rotating tasks (cycling, stacking, stepping and arm crank) of moderate metabolic activities (134-291 W/m2) with breaks in-between in a controlled environmental condition (34°C, 60% RH). The validation consisted of the predictions’ comparison against experimental data from 2.5 hours of data of rectal temperature and mean skin temperature based on contact thermometry from four body locations. The PHS model over-predicted rectal temperatures during the first activity for males and the cooling effectiveness of sweat in the recovery periods, for both males and females. As a result, the PHS simulation underestimated the thermal strain in this context. The Fiala model accurately predicted the rectal temperature throughout the exposure. The fluctuation of the experimental mean skin temperature was not reflected in any of the models. However, the PHS simulation model showed better agreement than the Fiala model. As both models predicted responses more accurately for males than females, we suggest that in future development of the models it is important to take this result into account. The paper further discusses possible sources of the observed discrepancies and concludes with some suggestions for modifications.
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