Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 24, 2026
08:22
A Preclinical Model of Exertional Heat Stroke in Mice
Published on: July 1, 2021
3.8K
Incorporating occupational risk in heat stress vulnerability mapping.
Journal of Environmental Health
|September 5, 2014
Summary
Obesity and strenuous outdoor jobs increase heat-related illness (HRI) risk, especially with extreme heat. Mapping these occupational and physiological factors may help identify high-risk areas for intervention.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Occupational Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Obesity and strenuous outdoor work are established risk factors for heat-related illness (HRI).
- The southeastern U.S. faces increasing extreme heat events, potentially exacerbating HRI risks.
- Geographic disparities in HRI incidence suggest underlying environmental and occupational influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify occupational risk for HRI using a novel MET-based index.
- To assess the predictive value of a GIS-based tool for identifying HRI "hotspots".
- To investigate the correlation between occupational/obesity rates and HRI incidence in Alabama.
Main Methods:
- Developed a weighted occupation-based metabolic equivalent (MET) index.
- Collected data on MET-weighted employment rates and obesity rates.
- Correlated these rates with 2012 HRI report data in Alabama using GIS mapping.
Main Results:
- Occupational and obesity rates showed a potential correlation with geographical variations in HRI report rates.
- The observed correlations were not statistically significant due to dataset limitations.
- GIS mapping indicated potential utility in identifying high-risk areas.
Conclusions:
- Occupational and physiological factors may contribute to geographical HRI disparities.
- GIS-based mapping of risk factors can aid public health professionals in targeting interventions.
- Further research with larger datasets is needed to confirm statistical significance.
Related Concept Videos
02:45Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
13.4K
Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
13.4K
01:09Thermal Stress
2.5K
If the temperature of an object is changed while it is prevented from expanding or contracting, the object is subjected to stress. The stress is compressive if the object expands in the absence of constraint and tensile if it contracts. This stress resulting from temperature change is known as thermal stress. It can be quite large and can cause damage. To avoid this stress, engineers may design components so they can expand and contract freely. For instance, on highways, gaps are deliberately...
2.5K
02:46Quantifying Heat
55.0K
Thermal Energy Microscopically, thermal energy is the kinetic energy associated with the random motion of atoms and molecules. Temperature is a quantitative measure of “hot” or “cold”, which depends on the amount of thermal energy. When the atoms and molecules in an object are moving or vibrating quickly, they have a higher average kinetic energy (KE) (or higher thermal energy), and the object is perceived as “hot”, or it is described as being at a higher...
55.0K
01:27Thermal expansion and Thermal stress: Problem Solving
2.2K
San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is exposed to temperatures ranging from -15 °C to 40 °C. At its coldest, the main span of the bridge is 1275 m long. Assuming that the bridge is made entirely of steel, what is the change in its length between these temperatures?
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55...
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55...
2.2K
01:24Stress Concentrations
830
Stress concentration is when stress intensifies near discontinuities such as holes or abrupt cross-sectional changes in a structural member. This localized stress can often surpass the average stress within the member. The stress distribution in flat bars, either with a circular hole or varying widths connected by fillets, can be determined experimentally using a photoelastic method. The results are based on ratios of geometric parameters like the ratio of the hole's radius to the smaller...
830
01:13Stress Concentrations
809
The concept of stress concentration is crucial for understanding how materials respond under bending stresses, particularly when there are irregularities or discontinuities in the material's geometry. Normally, stress in a symmetric member subjected to pure bending is assumed to be uniformly distributed across the entire cross-section. However, this assumption does not hold when there are variations in the cross-sectional geometry or the presence of notches and holes.
The stress...
The stress...
809