Heat strain and heat stress for workers wearing protective suits at a hazardous waste site

Journal Article · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1080/15298668791385048· OSTI ID:6515064

Paull, J M; Rosenthal, F S

In order to evaluate the effects of heat stress when full body protective suits are worn, heart rates, oral temperatures and environmental parameters were measured for five unacclimatized male workers (25-33 years of age) who performed sampling activities during hazardous waste clean-up operations. The protective ensembles included laminated PVC-Tyvec chemical resistant hood suits with rubber boots, gloves, full facepiece dual cartridge respirators and hard hats. For comparison, measurements also were performed when the men worked at a similar level of activity while they wore ordinary work clothes. A comparison of the heart rates for the men working with and without suits indicated that wearing the suits imposed a heat stress equivalent to adding 6/sup 0/ to 11/sup 0/C (11/sup 0/ to 20/sup 0/F) to the ambient WBGT index. A similar result was obtained by calculating the WBGT in the microclimate inside the suits and comparing it to the ambient WBGT. These results indicate the following: 1) there exists a significant risk of heat injury during hazardous waste work when full body protective clothing is worn, and 2) threshold limit values for heat stress established by the ACGIH must be lowered substantially before extending them to cover workers under these conditions.

• Research Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD
• OSTI ID: 6515064
• Journal Information: Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. J.; (United States) Vol. 48:5; ISSN AIHAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

560200* -- Thermal Effects
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
CLOTHING
ENERGY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HEAT
MATERIALS
PERSONNEL
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
RISK ASSESSMENT
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS