Comparison of estimated core body temperature measured with the BioHarness and rectal temperature under several heat stress conditions.

Monitoring and measuring core body temperature is important to prevent or minimize physiological strain and cognitive dysfunction for workers such as first responders (e.g., firefighters) and military personnel.

Effect of wearing an N95 filtering facepiece respirator on superomedial orbital infrared indirect brain temperature measurements.

To determine any effect of wearing a filtering facepiece respirator on brain temperature. Subjects (n = 18) wore a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) for 1 h at rest while undergoing infrared thermography measurements of the superomedial periobital region of the eye, a non-invasive indirect method of brain temperature measurements we termed the superomedial orbital infrared indirect brain temperature (SOIIBT) measurement. Temperature of the facial skin covered by the FFR, infrared temperature measurements of the tympanic membrane and superficial temporal artery region were concurrently measured, and subjective impressions of thermal comfort obtained simultaneously.

Baseline Evaluation With a Sweating Thermal Manikin of Personal Protective Ensembles Recommended for Use in West Africa.

Objective: Experience with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) ensembles by health care workers responding to the Ebola outbreak in the hot, humid conditions of West Africa has prompted reports of significant issues with heat stress that has resulted in shortened work periods.

Methods: A sweating thermal manikin was used to ascertain the time to achievement of a critical core temperature of 39 °C while wearing 4 different PPE ensembles similar to those recommended by the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) at 2 different ambient conditions (32 °C/92% relative humidity and 26 °C/80% relative humidity) compared with a control ensemble.

Results: PPE ensembles that utilized coveralls with moderate to high degrees of impermeability attained the critical core temperature in significantly shorter times than did other ensembles.