title: Skin sites to predict deep-body temperature while wearing firefighters' personal protective equipment during periodical changes in air temperature.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate stable and valid measurement sites of skin temperatures as a non-invasive variable to predict deep-body temperature while wearing firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE) during air temperature changes. Eight male firefighters participated in an experiment which consisted of 60-min exercise and 10-min recovery while wearing PPE without self-contained breathing apparatus (7.75 kg in total PPE mass). Air temperature was periodically fluctuated from 29.5 to 35.5 °C with an amplitude of 6 °C. Rectal temperature was chosen as a deep-body temperature, and 12 skin temperatures were recorded. The results showed that the forehead and chest were identified as the most valid sites to predict rectal temperature (R(2) = 0.826 and 0.824, respectively) in an environment with periodically fluctuated air temperatures. This study suggests that particular skin temperatures are valid as a non-invasive variable when predicting rectal temperature of an individual wearing PPE in changing ambient temperatures. Practitioner Summary: This study should offer assistance for developing a more reliable indirect indicating system of individual heat strain for firefighters in real time, which can be used practically as a precaution of firefighters' heat-related illness and utilised along with physiological monitoring.
authors.affiliation: a COM:FORT Laboratory, College of Human Ecology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Korea.
authors.forename: Siyeon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: a COM:FORT Laboratory, College of Human Ecology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Korea.|b Research Institute of Human Ecology , Seoul National University , Seoul , Korea.
authors.forename: Joo-Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D015444:Exercise; D061388:Firefighters; D005546:Forehead; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067393:Personal Protective Equipment; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013696:Temperature; D013909:Thorax
keywords: Firefighters; deep-body temperature; heat strain; personal protective equipment (PPE); prediction; skin temperature