Influence of Chronic Heat Acclimatization on Occupational Thermal Strain in Tropical Field Conditions

Brearley, Matt; Norton, Ian; Rush, Daryl; Hutton, Michael; Smith, S. C.; Ward, Linda; Fuentes, Héctor R.

doi:10.1097/jom.0000000000000902

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…There are several accounts of Australia's tropical monsoon region which note particular strain on outdoor or labor‐intensive workers. Such accounts have tended to focus not just on environmental conditions but also on exertion and exposure as areas of intervention. The Australian Defence Force for example articulates levels of exertion in relation to exposure through establishing recommended workload and work/rest cycles in relation to particular WBGT values .…”

Section: Part 2: Implications For the Monsoon Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In hot but relatively dry climates, the consumption of fluid in response to thirst combined with rest breaks in the shade may be sufficient to prevent excessively high core body temperatures. Yet in hot and humid environments that limit the potential for body heat dissipation, hydration and shaded rest breaks may not prevent the accumulation of body heat . In these situations, while the prevention of dehydration can contribute to maintaining productivity and limit the development of heat stress, it does not provide immunity against the development of heat‐related illness or heat stroke …”

Section: Part 2: Implications For the Monsoon Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Oppermann

Brearley

Law

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

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Exposure to heat has killed more people in Australia than all other natural hazards combined. As the climate warms, temperatures are projected to rise substantially, increasing the impact of heat stress and heat illness nation-wide. The relation between heat and health is profoundly complex, however, and is understood differently across multiple sectors. This paper thus provides a critical review of how heat is currently measured and managed in Australia, highlighting how humidity, exposure, and exertion are key elements that are not consistently incorporated into 'problematizations' of heat. The presence or absence of these elements produces different spatial and temporal geographies of danger, as well as different governance practices. In particular, the invisibility of humidity as having a significant impact on heat and health shapes whether Australia's tropical monsoon zone is visible as a region at risk or not, and whether prolonged periods of seasonal heat are treated as dangerous. Similarly, different populations and practices become visible depending on whether the human body (its exposure, exertion, cooling, and hydration) is included in accounts of what constitutes 'heat.' As a result, the outdoor, manual workforce is visible as a population at risk in some accounts but not others. A brief review of key policy areas including housing, public health and work health and safety is presented to demonstrate how specific problematizations of heat are critical to the identification of, and response to, current and future climatic conditions. This has implications for how populations, places, and practices are constituted in the region.

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Section: Part 2: Implications For the Monsoon Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Part 2: Implications For the Monsoon Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Oppermann

Brearley

Law

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The cause of this apparent seasonal influence is beyond the scope of this report, however, a similar seasonal trend was identified for assault related deaths. The harsh climate of the Top Ends build up and wet season contributes to heat stress (Brearley et al 2015 ; Brearley et al 2016 ), with residents using the colloquial terms of ‘mango madness’ and ‘troppo season’ interchangeably with ‘build up’ to describe the October to December period. The term ‘build up’ reflects the accumulation of environmental moisture during the day in combination with hot temperatures.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics of trauma mortality in the Northern Territory, Australia

McDermott

Brearley

Hudson³

et al. 2017

Inj. Epidemiol.

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BackgroundWhile factors including remoteness, alcohol consumption, age and Indigenous ethnicity are well-documented associations of trauma mortality, less is known of trauma seasonality. This is particularly relevant to Australia’s Northern Territory, with its tropical regions experiencing a climate of wet (hot and humid) and dry (warm) seasons annually. The aim of this study was to therefore, examine the characteristics of trauma mortality in the Top End, Northern Territory, Australia.MethodsA retrospective review of the National Coroners Information System (NCIS) database from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2007 analysed four-hundred and sixteen traumatic deaths where the trauma event and death occurred within the Top End of the Northern Territory.ResultsThe annual traumatic death rate for the Top End was 58.7 per 100 000, with variance between regions (accessible 38.1; remote 119.1 per 100000, respectively). Overall alcohol was involved in 56.5% of cases. The three most frequent mechanisms of death were suicide, transport related and assault, accounting for 81.5% of deaths. These respective mechanisms of death demonstrated seasonal influence, with transport related deaths 2.5 times more likely to occur in the dry than the wet season (p < 0.001), while assault related deaths were 3.3 times more likely to occur during the wet season (p = 0.005), and suicide was 1.6 times more likely to occur during the wet season (p = 0.022). Transport related deaths were 2.2 times more likely in remote and very remote settings than in accessible or moderately accessible regions (p < 0.003), whereas death by suicide was less likely to occur in remote and very remote regions than in accessible or moderately accessible areas (p = 0.012).ConclusionExcessively high rates of traumatic death in the Top End of the Northern Territory were evident, with contrasting seasonal and regional profiles. Based upon the data of this investigation, existing programmes to minimise trauma in the Northern Territory ought to be evaluated for seasonal and regional specificity.

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“…Despite similar physiological values during the initial stages of disaster response, HA responders sustained a significantly higher mean core temperature (38.5°C) than their NHA counterparts (38.1°C) (7). This seemingly counterintuitive outcome is in contrast to laboratory-based fixed workload research that results in less physiological perturbation following completion of a structured heat acclimatization program (8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Case for Heat Acclimatization of Disaster Responders—An Australian Perspective

Brearley

Norton

Trewin

2017

Front. Public Health

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Influence of Chronic Heat Acclimatization on Occupational Thermal Strain in Tropical Field Conditions

Cited by 18 publications

References 38 publications

Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Characteristics of trauma mortality in the Northern Territory, Australia

The Case for Heat Acclimatization of Disaster Responders—An Australian Perspective

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