Heat acclimatization and hydration status of American football players during initial summer workouts

This investigation evaluated the new National Collegiate Athletic heat acclimatization for football players using physiological, psychological, fluid balance, anthropometric, and nutritional variables. Eleven football players (20 ± 1 year, 1.88 ± 0.05 m, and 115.36 ± 18.85 kg) from a Division I football team were observed for the first 8 days of preseason practices. Measurements such as heart rate and gastrointestinal temperature (TGI) via telemetric sensor were taken before, 3 times during, and after practice daily. An average 1.39- kg (1.2%) decrease of body mass occurred from prepractice to postpractice (p \u3c 0.01). Consistent with mild body mass losses, urinary indices of hydration status (i.e., color, specific gravity, and osmolality) indicated mild fluid deficits. A significant in- crease (p \u3c 0.05) from pre to postpractice was observed in urine color and urine specific gravity, but chronic hypohydration over the 8 days was not noted. The Environmental Symptoms Ques- tionnaire (ESQ) postpractice score was significantly higher (p \u3c 0.05) than the prepractice score was, but averages did not differ across practice days. There was no difference in postpractice TGI measurements across days (p \u3c 0.05). Heart rate, TGI, and ESQ measurements indicated that football players experienced gradual heat acclimatization and enhanced heat tolerance, despite progressive increases of exercise variables, clothing, and environmental stressors

Heat Safety in the Workplace: Modified Delphi Consensus to Establish Strategies and Resources to Protect the US Workers

The purpose of this consensus document was to develop feasible, evidence-based occupational heat safety recommendations to protect the US workers that experience heat stress. Heat safety recommendations were created to protect worker health and to avoid productivity losses associated with occupational heat stress. Recommendations were tailored to be utilized by safety managers, industrial hygienists, and the employers who bear responsibility for implementing heat safety plans. An interdisciplinary roundtable comprised of 51 experts was assembled to create a narrative review summarizing current data and gaps in knowledge within eight heat safety topics: (a) heat hygiene, (b) hydration, (c) heat acclimatization, (d) environmental monitoring, (e) physiological monitoring, (f) body cooling, (g) textiles and personal protective gear, and (h) emergency action plan implementation. The consensus-based recommendations for each topic were created using the Delphi method and evaluated based on scientific evidence, feasibility, and clarity. The current document presents 40 occupational heat safety recommendations across all eight topics. Establishing these recommendations will help organizations and employers create effective heat safety plans for their workplaces, address factors that limit the implementation of heat safety best-practices and protect worker health and productivity. © 2021. The Authors. GeoHealth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union