Abstract
Miners in Australia frequently perform physically demanding work under high ambient temperatures and humidity, often whilst wearing personal protective equipment, leading to heat-related illnesses. This study investigated effects of replacing 100% and 50% sweat losses with 5% carbohydrate liquid or ice-slurry solution on core temperature during simulated mining conditions. Five randomized treadmill trials were performed with: no fluid replacement (NF), 100% (100 ICE) and 50% (50 ICE) sweat loss replaced with ice-slurry (~-1°C) solution and 100% (100 LIQ) and 50% (50 LIQ) sweat loss replaced with liquid (~+4°C) solution. Time to exhaustion was longer in 100 ICE followed by 100 LIQ, 50 ICE, 50 LIQ and NF. Change in rectal temperature was least in 100 ICE followed by 100 LIQ, 50 ICE, 50 LIQ and NF. Ingestion of ice-slurry resulted in longer time to exhaustion and slower rates of change in rectal temperature. It is recommended that ice-slurry drinks be provided to personnel to lower heat strain during hot working conditions.
Highlights
Miners perform physically demanding work [1] [2] in hot [3] ambient working conditions, often with minimally exposed skin surface area
It was hypothesised that replacing 100% of sweat loss with ice slurry ingestion would result in the greatest attenuation of thermal strain during exercise due to the larger cooling capacity associated with the enthalpy of fusion
There was an increase in Tlim and an attenuated rise in Tre during exercise for both 100% sweat replacement conditions, this conflicts with the theoretical cooling capacities of the solutions calculated from sweat rates during no fluid replacement (NF)
Summary
Miners perform physically demanding work [1] [2] in hot [3] ambient working conditions, often with minimally exposed skin surface area. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA (1997) [7], improving ventilation practices [8], wearing cooling garments [9] and educating workers on the importance of fluid replacement [10]. Despite these interventions, the incidence of heat stress related illnesses in the industrial setting remains high, during the summer months [5]. There is a need to examine alternative cooling methods
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