New and Old Indices for Evaluating Heat Stress in an Indoor Environment: Some Considerations. Comment on Kownacki, L.; Gao, C.; Kuklane, K.; Wierzbicka, A. Heat Stress in Indoor Environments of Scandinavian Urban Areas: A Literature Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16 (4), 560. doi:10.3390/ijerph16040560.

Francesco Chirico,Nicola Magnavita

doi:10.3390/ijerph16081444

Abstract

In their review, Kownacki et al. showed some practical and easy to use workplace heat indices that are useful for indoor environments, namely the “Wet Bulb Globe Temperature” (WBGT), the “Predicted Heat Strain” (PHS) model, the “Thermal Work Limit” (TWL), the “Equivalent Temperature” (ET) and the thermal comfort index “PMV/PPD”. In this letter, the authors explain why the modified PMV/PPD method together with the indices combining temperature with humidity, such as the “Humidex Index” and the “Heat Index”, could be a more feasible and useful tool for evaluating potential thermal stress in indoor environments for both the occupational and general population.

Highlights

Kownacki et al [1] explored the connection between the outdoor and the indoor climates in buildings without air conditioning as climate change is likely to increase the risk of heat waves in the future, which can be a potential source of thermal stress for indoor inhabitants
The review showed some practical and easy to use workplace heat indices that are useful for indoor environments, namely the “Wet Bulb Globe Temperature” (WBGT), the “Predicted Heat Strain” (PHS) model, the “Thermal Work Limit” (TWL), the “Equivalent Temperature” (ET) and the thermal comfort index “PMV/PPD”
Public Health 2019, 16, 1444 we should like to mention two further indices that the authors did not include in their review, namely the “Humidex Index” [3], which is used by Canadian meteorologists to describe how hot the weather feels to the average person by combining the effect of heat and humidity and the “Heat Index” [4], which is an calculated index that is used by US Government as a measure of how hot it really feels when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature [5]

Summary

Introduction

Kownacki et al [1] explored the connection between the outdoor and the indoor climates in buildings without air conditioning as climate change is likely to increase the risk of heat waves in the future, which can be a potential source of thermal stress for indoor inhabitants. Their review concluded that the literature on this topic is scarce as most of the studies have only focused on the outdoor environment.

Results

Conclusion