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

Effect of Urine Agitation on measurements of hydration status.

Hypohydration can have significant implications on physiological functions of the body and has the potential to decrease level of performance. Hypohydration can lead to increased thermal and cardiovascular strain. • Athletic trainers are commonly required to attain urine specimen samples to assess athlete hydration status for weight checks and monitoring body mass losses. Unfortunately, immediate examination of urine samples is not always possible. • As the urine sample sits, visible and non-visible sedimentation develops. No current literature addresses the sedimentation of urine samples and what procedures should be performed to ensure an accurate hydration assessment.Applied Medicine and Rehabilitation.ILL-ETD-001Each participant completed informed consent and a health questionnaire • We provided participants with clean specimen cup(s) to provide a sample(s) • Within 2 hours of collection, we analyzed each sample using the osmometer, serving as the control. • We split each sample into 3 cups. Samples were labeled according to agitation type and participant number. • All samples were stored in a thermoneutral environment • After 48 hours, we agitated each sample as per the experimental condition • HS: tipped 10 times in hourglass fashion (right side up to up side down) • Vtx: placed on vortex mixer for 10 secs at 3,000 RPM • NS: samples were not disturbe

Digital and clinical refractometers are valid instruments for the measure of hydration status.

Although some instruments have been validated for clinical measure of hydration status, new and currently invalid instruments are available for purchase and clinical use. Athletic trainers commonly use these instruments to assess hydration status for weight checks and body mass loss charts due to their ease of use. However, the validity of these popular instruments has not yet been established.SW YearginILL-ETD-01