Working in the sun -- heating of the head may markedly affect safety and performance

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-06/fos--wit061420.php


News Release 16-Jun-2020
Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen


Approximately half of the global population live in regions where heat stress is an issue that affects the ability to live healthy and productive lives. It is well known that working in hot conditions, and the associated hyperthermia (rise in body temperature), may impair the ability to perform physically demanding manual work. However, the effects on cognitively dominated functions, and specifically the influence from sunlight exposure on human brain temperature and function have not been documented.

This new study shows clear negative effects of prolonged exposure of the head to sunlight, implying that we may have underestimated its true effects, as previous studies have traditionally been conducted in the laboratory, without accounting for the marked effect that sun radiation may have - in particular, when the head is exposed for a prolonged period.

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