Do the Threshold Limit Values for Work in Hot Conditions Adequately Protect Workers?

Meade, Robert D.; Poirier, Martin P.; Flouris, Andreas D.; Hardcastle, Stephen G.; Kenny, Glen P.

doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000000886

Cited by 38 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…While these guidelines certainly do not address the limits of heat exposure in other populations, recent work has suggested that they are inadequate in the average older adult (Lamarche et al 2017). In fact, they may even be insufficient to protect healthy active young adults (Meade et al 2015(Meade et al , 2016a(Meade et al , 2016b, which solidifies the unequivocal need for updated guidelines for all individuals. Specifically, that these new guidelines should be stratified based on susceptibility to heat-related illness or injury is paramount; however, the first critical step is to better define those who are at greatest risk.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing age is a major risk factor for susceptibility to heat stress during physical activity

McGinn

Poirier

Louie

et al. 2017

Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab.

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Abstract:We evaluated the extent to which age, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body fat can independently determine wholebody heat loss (WBHL) in 87 otherwise healthy adults. We show that increasing age is a major predictor for decreasing WBHL in otherwise healthy adults (aged 20-70 years), accounting for 40% of the variation in the largest study to date. While greater body fat also had a minor detrimental impact on WBHL, there was no significant role for cardiorespiratory fitness.Key words: aging, thermoregulation, older adults, heat exposure, body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness. Résumé :On évalue dans quelle mesure l'âge, la condition cardiorespiratoire et le gras corporel peuvent déterminer de façon indépendante la perte de chaleur dans l'organisme en entier (« WBHL ») chez 87 adultes apparemment en bonne santé. Nous constatons que l'augmentation de l'âge est un facteur majeur de la diminution de WBHL chez les adultes apparemment en bonne santé (âgés de 20 à 70 ans) : ce facteur explique 40% de la variation dans la plus grande étude à ce jour. Un plus haut niveau de gras corporel a un faible impact nuisible sur WBHL et la condition cardiorespiratoire n'a pas d'impact significatif. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing age is a major risk factor for susceptibility to heat stress during physical activity

McGinn

Poirier

Louie

et al. 2017

Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab.

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“…Hailed as “one of the biggest mysteries in climate science” ( Tollefson, 2013), the slowdown of the Earth’s surface temperature warming in the period 1998–2013 undermined, for a number of years, the idea that human-generated greenhouse gases are the main driver and cause of climate change ( Nieves et al , 2015). During this period, the existing climate models were unable (on average) to reproduce the observed atmospheric temperature trend.…”

Section: Unaccounted Heat In Climate Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The ever-increasing decline in solar activity since 2000 was also considered as a possibility, since it reduces the amount of energy reaching the Earth ( Ineson et al , 2015). Ultimately, in 2015, Nieves and colleagues showed that what was interpreted as a change in the planet’s warming rate was, in fact, a redistribution of heat within the ocean ( Nieves et al , 2015). Specifically, Nieves et al , showed that heat moved from the surface of the Pacific Ocean to the deeper layers of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, a finding that was confirmed using a wealth of observational and simulated data.…”

Section: Unaccounted Heat In Climate Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specifically, Nieves et al , showed that heat moved from the surface of the Pacific Ocean to the deeper layers of the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, a finding that was confirmed using a wealth of observational and simulated data. As a result, the net ocean heat uptake remains dangerously high ( Nieves et al , 2015), and the rate of global warming may have actually increased during the hiatus period ( IPCC, 2014). The observed record-breaking temperatures throughout 2015 and 2016 ( https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-noaa-data-show-2016-warmest-year-on-record-globally) support the findings of Nieves et al .…”

Section: Unaccounted Heat In Climate Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interestingly, as in the case of the 1998–2013 hiatus, the ocean heat uptake was a very important contributing factor to this longer offsetting of the warming rate ( England et al , 2014). This is because ocean circulation changes have a vast impact on the geographical distribution of warming and heat storage patterns, which ultimately affect the planet’s surface climate ( Nieves et al , 2015). Measuring atmospheric temperature at specific regions can only indicate regional changes in heat content and – as in the case of the 1998–2013 hiatus – can lead to wrong conclusions about the planet’s warming rate.…”

Section: Unaccounted Heat In Climate Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heat remains unaccounted for in thermal physiology and climate change research

Flouris

Kenny

2017

F1000Res

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In the aftermath of the Paris Agreement, there is a crucial need for scientists in both thermal physiology and climate change research to develop the integrated approaches necessary to evaluate the health, economic, technological, social, and cultural impacts of 1.5°C warming. Our aim was to explore the fidelity of remote temperature measurements for quantitatively identifying the continuous redistribution of heat within both the Earth and the human body. Not accounting for the regional distribution of warming and heat storage patterns can undermine the results of thermal physiology and climate change research. These concepts are discussed herein using two parallel examples: the so-called slowdown of the Earth’s surface temperature warming in the period 1998-2013; and the controversial results in thermal physiology, arising from relying heavily on core temperature measurements. In total, the concept of heat is of major importance for the integrity of systems, such as the Earth and human body. At present, our understanding about the interplay of key factors modulating the heat distribution on the surface of the Earth and in the human body remains incomplete. Identifying and accounting for the interconnections among these factors will be instrumental in improving the accuracy of both climate models and health guidelines.

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Occupational heat stress management: Does one size fit all?

Notley

Flouris

Kenny

2019

American J Industrial Med

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Heat stress is a deadly occupational hazard that is projected to increase in severity with global warming. While upper limits for heat stress designed to protect all workers have been recommended by occupational safety institutes for some time, heat stress continues to compromise health and productivity. In our view, this is largely explained by the inability of existing guidelines to consider the inter‐individual (age, sex, disease, others) and intra‐individual (medication use, fitness, hydration, others) factors that cause extensive variability in physiological tolerance to a given heat stress. In conditions that do not exceed the recommended limits, this ‘one size fits all’ approach to heat stress management can lead to reductions in productivity in more heat‐tolerant workers, while compromising safety in less heat‐tolerant workers who may develop heat‐related illness, even in temperate conditions. Herein, we discuss future directions in occupational heat stress management that consider this individual variability.

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Do the Threshold Limit Values for Work in Hot Conditions Adequately Protect Workers?

Abstract: The current study demonstrated that heat balance was not achieved and ΔTb and ΔHb were inconsistent, suggesting that the TLV may not adequately protect workers during work in hot conditions.

Cited by 38 publications

References 23 publications

Increasing age is a major risk factor for susceptibility to heat stress during physical activity

Increasing age is a major risk factor for susceptibility to heat stress during physical activity

Heat remains unaccounted for in thermal physiology and climate change research

Occupational heat stress management: Does one size fit all?

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