Heat warnings in Switzerland: reassessing the choice of the current heat stress index

High temperatures lead to heat-related human stress and an increased mortality risk. To quantify heat discomfort and the relevant dangers, heat stress indices combine different meteorological variables such as temperature, relative humidity, radiation and wind speed. In this paper, a set of widely-used heat stress indices is analyzed and compared to the heat index currently used to issue official heat warnings in Switzerland, considering 28 Swiss weather stations for the years 1981?2017. We investigate how well warnings based on the heat index match warning days and warning periods that are calculated from alternative heat stress indices. The latter might allow for more flexibility in terms of specific warning demands and impact-based warnings. It is shown that the percentage of alternative warnings that match the official warnings varies among indices. Considering the heat index as reference, the simplified wet bulb globe temperature performs well and has some further advantages such as no lower bound and allowing for the calculation of climatological values. Yet, other indices (e.g., with higher dependencies on humidity) can have some added value, too. Thus, regardless of the performance in terms of matches, the optimal index to use strongly depends on the purpose of the warningAna Casanueva was funded by the HEAT-SHIELD Project (HORIZON 2020, research and innovation program under the grant agreement 668786)

TMSA: participatory sensing based on mobile phones in urban space

A design for a novel mobile sensing system, called Temperature Measurement System Architecture (TMSA), that uses people as mobile sensing nodes in a network to capture spatiotemporal properties of pedestrians in urban environments is presented in this paper. In this dynamic, microservices approach, real-time data and an open-source IoT platform are combined to provide weather conditions based on information generated by a fleet of mobile sensing platforms. TMSA also offers several advantages over traditional methods using participatory sensing or more recently crowd-sourced data from mobile devices, as it provides a framework in which citizens can bring to light data relevant to urban planning services or learn human behaviour patterns, aiming to change users’ attitudes or behaviors through social influence. In this paper, we motivate the need for and demonstrate the potential of such a sensing paradigm, which supports a host of new research and application developments, and illustrate this with a practical urban sensing example.This work has been supported by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia within the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020. It has also been supported by na tional funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through project ˆ UIDB/04728/2020

Assessment of occupational health problems and physiological stress among the brick field workers of West Bengal, India

Objectives: The brick field industry is one of the oldest industries in India, which employs a large number of workers of poor socioeconomic status. The main aim of the present investigation is i) to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among brick field workers, ii) to determine the prevalence of respiratory disorders and physiological stress among brick field workers compared to control workers. Material and Methods: For this study, a total of 220 brick field workers and 130 control subjects were selected randomly. The control subjects were mainly involved in hand-intensive jobs. The Modified Nordic Questionnaire was applied to assess the discomfort felt among both groups of workers. Thermal stress was also assessed by measuring the WBGT index. The pulmonary functions were checked using the spirometry. Physiological assessment of the workload was carried out by recording the heart rate and blood pressure of the workers prior to work and just after work in the field. Results: Brick field workers suffered from pain especially in the lower back (98%), hands (93%), knees (86%), wrists (85%), shoulders (76%) and neck (65%). Among the brick-making activities, brick field workers felt discomfort during spading for mud collection (98%), carrying bricks (95%) and molding (87%). The results showed a significantly lower p value < 0.001 in FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC ratio and PEFR in brick field workers compared to the control group. The post-activity heart rate of the brick field workers was 148.6 beats/min, whereas the systolic and diastolic blood pressure results were 152.8 and 78.5 mm/Hg, respectively. Conclusions: This study concludes that health of the brick field workers was highly affected due to working in unhealthy working conditions for a long period of time

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

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

Numerical evaluation of thermal comfort in traditional courtyards to develop new microclimate design in a hot and dry climate

The growing interest in thermal comfort of outdoor environments yields in different analysis on courtyards as a common space between urban and architectural scales. However, there is a limited knowledge regarding the microclimatic behavior of such spaces. Using ENVI-met simulations, this paper aims to numerically discuss the thermal performance of different configurations of traditionally designed courtyards in Shiraz, Iran, which experiences hot summers and cold winters. The geometrical effects such as orientation and H/W (height to width ratio) of courtyards are considered as potential parameters to improve the microclimatic conditions. In this paper, PMV and UTCI are used as thermal comfort indices. The obtained results indicate mean radiant temperature and wind speed as the most effective parameters for thermal comfort of courtyards. In addition, the aforementioned geometrical parameters might not be able to solely create a desirable condition, but they could significantly improve the thermal comfort of courtyards during summer and winter. To achieve a desirable thermal comfort level, the results suggest using configurations of a high H/W rate and southward orientation in order to obtain better shading during summer as well as allowing the solar radiation in while regulating the wind speed in winter

Evaluation of pre-game hydration status, heat stress, and fluid balance during professional soccer competition in the heat

This study evaluated initial hydration status (stadium arrival urine specific gravity), fluid balance (pre- and post-game nude body weight, fluid intake, urine collection), and core temperature changes (pre-game, half-time, post-game) during a professional soccer game. We monitored 17 male players (goalies included) between stadium arrival and game end (3h), playing at 34.9°C and 35.4% relative humidity, for an average Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) heat stress index of 31.9°C. Data are mean ± SD (range). Initial urine specific gravity (USG) was 1.018 ± 0.008 (1.003-1.036); seven players showed USG ≥ 1.020. Over the three hours, body mass (BM) loss was 2.58 ± 0.88kg (1.08-4.17kg), a dehydration of 3.38 ± 1.11%BM (1.68-5.34%BM). Sweat loss was 4448 ± 1216mL (2950-6224mL), vs. fluid intake of 1948 ± 954mL (655-4288mL). Despite methodological problems with many players, core temperatures greater than or equal to 39.0°C were registered in four players by halftime, and in nine by game’s end. Many of these players incurred significant dehydration during the game, compounded by initial hypohydration; thermoregulation may have been impaired to an extent we were unable to measure accurately. We suggest some new recommendations for soccer players training and competing in the heat to help them avoid substantial dehydration.Gatorade Sports Science Institute//Universidad de Costa Rica VI-245-A4-303UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Movimiento Humano (CIMOHU