• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제42권2호
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• pp.92-101
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• 2016

Objectives: Outdoor workers are exposed to thermally stressful work environments. In this study, heat stress indices for harbor workers in summer were calculated to evaluate thermal comfort based on a human heat balance model. These indices are Physiological Subjective Temperature (PST), Dehydration Risk (DhR), and Overheating Risk (OhR) according to respective stage of cargo work in a harbor. In addition, we constructed a forecast system to provide heat stress information. Methods: Thermophysiological indices in this study were calculated using the MENEX model (i.e. the human heat balance model), which used as inputs the meteorological parameters, clothing insulation, and metabolic rate for each stage of cargo work in the harbor of Masan over the course of seven days, including a four-day heat wave. The forecast heat stress information constructed for Masan harbor was based on meteorological data supported by the Dong-Nae Forecast from the KMA (Korea Metrological Administration) and other input parameters. Results: According to higher metabolic rate, thermophysiological indices showed a critical level. In particular, PST was evaluated as reaching the 'Very hot' or 'Hot' level during all seven days, despite the heat occurring over only four. It is important in a regard to consider the work environment conditions (i.e. labor intensity and clothing in harbor). On a webpage, the forecast thermophysiological indices show as infographics to be easily understand. This webpage is comprised of indices for both current conditions and the forecast, with brief guidance. Conclusion: Thermophysiological indices show the risk level to health during a heat wave period. Heat stress information could help to protect the health of harbor workers. Further, this study could extend the applicability of these indices to a variety of outdoor workers in consideration of work environments.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제25권7호
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• pp.951-961
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• 2016

To prevent increasing instances of heat-related illnesses due to heat waves generated by climate change, a customized thermal environment index should be developed for outdoor workers. In this study, we conducted sensitivity analysis of the Masan harbor during a heat wave period (August 9th to 15th, 2013) using the MENEX model with metabolic rate and clothing-insulation data, in order to obtain realistic information about the thermal environment. This study shows that accurate input data are essential to gather information for thermophysiological indices (PST, DhR, and OhR). PST is sensitive to clothing insulation as a function of clothing. OhR is more sensitive to clothing insulation during the day and to the metabolic rate at night. From these results, it appears that when exposed to high-temperature thermal environments in summer, wearing highly insulated clothing and getting enough rest (to lower the metabolic rate) can aid in preventing heat-related illnesses. Moreover, in the case of high-intensity harbor work, quantification of allowed working time (OhR) during heat waves is significant for human health sciences.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제18권6호
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• pp.321-330
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• 2009

Spatiotemporal changes in the thermal environment in a large city, Seoul, Korea were analyzed using a thermal index, perceived temperature (PT), to standardize the weather conditions. PT is a standard index for the thermal balance of human beings in thermophysiological environment. For the analysis of PT, the data from long-term monitoring and intensive observations in and around the inner-city stream called 'Cheonggye' in Seoul, were compared with a reference data from the Seoul weather station. Long-term data were monitored by installing two automatic weather stations at 66m (S1) and 173m (S2) away from the center of the stream. Through the analysis of the data during the summer of 2006 and intensive observation periods, it was revealed that the stream's effects on the PT extended up to the distance of the S1 site. In winter, the increase of the PT between pre- and post-restoration was stronger at S1, which was nearer than S2 from the stream. These results suggest that PT can be used as an effective model in analyzing the changes of the thermal environment in relation with the changes of water surface areas.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.107-117
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• 2023

Background: Thermophysiological comfort in a cold environment is mainly ensured by clothing. However, the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics may be sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. This article evaluated the thermal insulation properties of three technical textile assemblies and determined the influence of environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) on their insulation capacity. Methods: Thermal insulation capacity and air permeability of the assemblies were determined experimentally. A sweating-guarded hotplate apparatus, commonly called the "skin model," based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11092 standard and simulating the heat transfer from the body surface to the environment through clothing material, was adopted for the thermal resistance measurements. Results: It was found that the assemblies lost about 85% of their thermal insulation with increasing wind speed from 0 to 16 km/h. Under certain conditions, values approaching 1 clo have been measured. On the other hand, the results showed that temperature variation in the range (-40℃, 30℃), as well as humidity ratio changes (5 g/kg, 20 g/kg), had a limited influence on the thermal insulation of the studied assemblies. Conclusion: The present study showed that the most important variable impacting the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics is the wind speed, a parameter not taken into account by ISO 11092.