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At least 109 records · Page 6

Compromise of Personal Protective Clothing from Liquid Exposure

Following critiques of multiple personal contamination events from entries into the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source transfer bay, it was considered that the most likely causes for contamination were personal protective clothing doffing errors or that moisture (sweat) allowed contamination to wick through the protective clothing. To pursue this issue, radiological protection staff looked more closely, however, at the specific area of the clothing where contamination was highest; under enhanced lighting and photochromic manipulation, there appeared to have been some type of moisture in the area. Recognizing the possibility that moisture may have allowed for migration of contamination through the clothing, further experiments were undertaken to determine under which conditions this transport might have occurred. The objective for this work was to identify the susceptibility of different types of personal protective clothing to various liquids encountered in the workplace.Method: Several tests were performed to determine if perspiration had enabled migration of contamination, and to identify what other liquids might have affected contamination transport. Two layers of personal protective clothing were subjected to static conditions and dynamic conditions, to include active rubbing of the materials while wet. Food dye added to each of the liquids tested enabled visual indications of liquid breakthrough. Additional tests were conducted to see if solid contamination could be transported through the materials along with the liquids. As a result, it was found that all but one type of non-rubberized personal protective clothing in use at Oak Ridge National Laboratory were permanently compromised to some extent by the solvents used for decontamination. It was determined that most common cleaning agents immediately and permanently destroyed the hydrophobic nature of several of the splash-resistant protective clothing materials, allowing for radioactive contamination to penetrate through the material to the worker. Work around wet surfaces or performing wet decontamination will only be performed in protective clothing known to prevent transport of the wetting agent.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Freestanding VO 2 membranes on epidermal nanomesh for ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors

The interest in highly sensitive sensors is rapidly increasing for detecting very tiny signals for Internet of Things devices. Here, we achieve ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors based on freestanding VO 2 membranes. We fabricate the membranes by growing VO 2 films onto sacrificial Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 layer grown on SrTiO 3 , selectively dissolving the Sr 3 Al 2 O 6 in water, and then rendering freestanding VO 2 membrane on nanomesh. The nanomeshes are extremely flexible, sweat permeable, and readily skin-adhesive. The resistance of the VO 2 membranes is reversibly tuned by human’s tiny mechanical stimuli and breath stimuli. The stimuli modulate the Peierls dimerization of one-dimensional V-V chains in the VO 2 lattice which concomitantly controls the electron correlation and hence resistivity. Since our breathable sensors operate based on quantum-mechanical correlation effects, their sensitivity is 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than conventional tactile and respiratory sensors based on other materials. Thus, the freestanding membranes of correlated oxides on epidermal nanomeshes are multifunctional platforms for developing ultra-sensitive correlated breathable sensors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Moisture Performance of Unvented Attics With Vapor Diffusion Ports and Buried Ducts in Hot, Humid Climates

Energy efficiency measures, such as cool roofs, radiant barriers, interior radiative control coatings, and buried ducts are increasing in popularity and are promoted by energy codes because of their energy-saving potential. However, these strategies can also pose moisture risks in attics by lowering surface temperatures and increasing condensation potential and moisture accumulation. Of particular concern in hot-humid climates is dripping condensation on cold air-conditioning ductwork in the summer - commonly referred to as duct "sweating" - which threatens the attic floor with conditions conducive to mold growth and rot. One strategy to mitigate these moisture issues is to wrap ductwork in thicker duct-wrap insulation with an integrated exterior vapor barrier, but thick duct wrap can be difficult to come by, expensive, and unwieldy to work with. This study explores an alternative strategy of reducing moisture issues while embracing energy efficiency by using unvented attics with vapor diffusion ports and buried ductwork in hot-humid climates. Vapor diffusion ports have been studied so far in a wide range of U.S. climates, mostly in the context of conditioned attics. In this study, the strategy is implemented in the novel context of hot-humid climates with ductwork sitting atop blown-in attic floor insulation in unconditioned attics. Using a combination of field experiments and hygrothermal modeling, the findings of this project indicate that an unvented attic with vapor diffusion ports and buried ducts may be a key part of a successful low-cost method for reducing the attic moisture load by venting excess moisture out of the attic, keeping duct-jacket surfaces above dew point temperature, and keeping the roof deck safe from winter moisture accumulation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Development of mathematical models of environmental physiology

Selected articles concerned with mathematical or simulation models of human thermoregulation are presented. The articles presented include: (1) development and use of simulation models in medicine, (2) model of cardio-vascular adjustments during exercise, (3) effective temperature scale based on simple model of human physiological regulatory response, (4) behavioral approach to thermoregulatory set point during exercise, and (5) importance of skin temperature in sweat regulation.

Stolwijk, J. A. J.↗

Exercise temperature regulation in man in the upright and supine positions.

Rectal, auditory canal, and mean skin temperatures and various metabolic measurements were taken on subjects during 70-min exercise periods, in the upright and supine positions, on a bicycle ergometer. The results indicate nonlinear relationships between sweating and core skin temperatures and suggest the action of undefined thermal and/or nonthermal inputs in the control of exercise temperature regulation.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Blood electrolytes and exercise in relation to temperature regulation in man.

It is shown that the body temperature rise during physical exercise is a regulated process and is not due to a failure of heat-dissipating mechanisms. Core and skin temperatures do not provide sufficient information to account for the control of sweating during exercise. Evidence is presented that suggests an association between equilibrium levels of rectal temperature and the osmotic concentration of the blood with essentially no influence from variations in plasma volume.-

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Blood electrolytes and exercise in relation to temperature regulation in man

Current knowledge and theories about the relation of blood electrolytes and exercise to thermoregulation in man are reviewed. It is shown that the elevation of body temperature during physical exercise is a regulated process and is not due to a failure of the heat dissipating mechanisms. Core and skin temperatures do not provide sufficient information to account for the control of sweating during exercise. Evidence is presented that suggests an association between equilibrium levels of rectal temperature and the osmotic concentration of the blood with essentially no influence of variations in plasma volume.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Temperature responses of exercizing dogs to infusion of electrolytes

The effect of infusions with solutions of various ionic and osmotic composition on exercise temperature responses was studied in dogs who do not regulate their temperature by sweating. The results suggest an association between plasma Na+ and Ca++ level within the normal physiological range and the control of body temperature during exercise.

Greenleaf, J. E.↗

Metabolism and heat dissipation during Apollo EVA periods

The extravehicular activity life support equipment, suit temperature control, metabolic rate measurement methods, and energy production are discussed. The Apollo crewmen were able to perform planned extravehicular activities and to extend them to the maximum time allowable without medical problems. The metabolic rates experienced during the lunar surface extravehicular activities were lower than conservative premission estimates. A manually controlled liquid cooling garment was effectively used to minimize fatigue and water loss from sweating during lunar surface extravehicular activities. Gas cooling was adequate during the short zero-g extravehicular activities performed from the command module. The prediction of EVA workloads became more reliable as inflight data was accumulated. The prediction of the average metabolic cost of an EVA was more reliable than the cost of an individual short-term task.

J.M. Waligora↗

Liquid-circulating garment controls thermal balance

Experimental data and mathematical model of human thermoregulatory system have been used to investigate use of liquid-circulatory garment (LCG) to control thermal balance. Model proved useful as accurate simulator of such variables as sweat rate, skin temperature, core temperature, and radiative, evaporative, and LCG heat loss.

Kuznetz, L. H.↗

Fluid shifts during thermal stress with and without fluid replacement

Six unacclimatized men rested for 4 hr in a hot, dry environment without fluid replacement (DH). Another group of six men were exposed to the same thermal stress, replacing evaporative fluid loss with warm 0.1% NaCl solution (FRP). Total grams of circulating hemoglobin, determined by CO immediately prior to and again during the last minutes of heat exposure, increased an insignificant 1.6 and 1.3% during DH and FRP, respectively. With DH, body weight loss of 2.6% was accompanied by a 7.8% reduction in calculated plasma volume (PV). Even when body weight was maintained (FRP), PV decreased 2.9% during the heat exposure. Total circulating serum protein did not change as a result of the heat stress with either DH or FRP. In a test-retest series of experiments on four men, DH was not detrimental to sweat rate. It is shown that hemodilution is not a general response to acute heat exposure. The disproportionately large reduction in PV during thermal dehydration is confirmed.

Myhre, L. G.↗

Electrolytes and thermoregulation

The influence of ions on temperature is studied for cases where the changes in ionic concentrations are induced by direct infusion or injection of electrolyte solutions into the cerebral ventricles or into specific areas of brain tissue; intravenous infusion or injection; eating food or drinking solutions of different ionic composition; and heat or exercise dehydration. It is shown that introduction of Na(+) and Ca(++) into the cerebral ventricles or into the venous system affects temperature regulation. It appears that the specific action of these ions is different from their osmotic effects. It is unlikely that their action is localized to the thermoregulatory centers in the brain. The infusion experiments demonstrate that the changes in sodium balance occurring during exercise and heat stress are large enough to affect sweat gland function and vasomotor activity.

Nielsen, B.↗

A portable personal cooling system for mine rescue operations

Design of a portable personal cooling system to reduce physiological stress in high-temperature, high-humidity conditions is discussed. The system, based on technology used in the thermal controls of space suits, employs a combination of head and thoracic insulation and cooling through a heat sink unit. Average metabolic rates, heart rates, rectal temperature increase and sweat loss were monitored for test subjects wearing various configurations of the cooling system, as well as for a control group. The various arrangements of the cooling garment were found to provide significant physiological benefits; however, increases in heat transfer rate of the cooling unit and more effective insulation are suggested to improve the system's function.

Webbon, B.↗