Physiological impact of flame resistant clothing: managing heat stress.
Source
Handbook of fire resistant textiles. Kilinc FS ed. Oxford: Woodhead Publishers, Inc., 2013 May; :434-455
Abstract
First responders are required to wear protective ensembles constructed of flame-retardant materials. While these ensembles protect against external hazards, they also impose a physiological burden on the wearer primarily due to the nature of the materials (e.g., low vapor permeability, highly insulated) that create a hot and humid microenvironment inside the ensemble. The normal avenues of heat transfer from the body to the environment are blocked resulting in physiological heat strain. This chapter addresses the physiological responses to wearing flame-retardant materials and some potential solutions to mitigating the physiological strain imposed by the ensemble.
Keywords
Heat-stress; Heat-exhaustion; Protective-clothing; Personal-protection; Personal-protective-equipment; Fire-resistant-materials; Fire-protection; Physiological-stress; Physiology; Fire-protection-equipment;
Author Keywords: Metabolic heat; environmental heat; physiological responses to heat; occupational heat stress; fire-retardant personal protective ensembles
Priority Area
Public Safety
Source Name
Handbook of fire resistant textiles
