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Heat illness in Cyprus
1Garrison Medical Centre, Headquarters Episkopi Garrison, British Forces Post Office 53.
Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
|June 1, 1994
Summary
Implementing Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) guidelines in British Forces Cyprus significantly reduced heat illness incidents. Adherence to WBGT readings by commanders appears to have decreased preventable heat casualties.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Military Medicine
- Occupational Safety
Background:
- Heat illness poses a significant risk in military settings.
- No standardized service-wide system exists for monitoring heat illness incidence.
- British Forces Cyprus implemented medical policy guidelines for physical activity based on Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) in 1988.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively examine heat illness casualty reports in British Forces Cyprus.
- To assess the impact of WBGT guidelines on heat illness incidence.
- To determine if adherence to WBGT guidelines reduced preventable heat casualties.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of heat illness casualty reports from August 1988 to December 1992.
- Data collection on reported incidents and maximum recorded WBGT readings.
- Comparison of incident rates and WBGT levels over the study period.
Main Results:
- A reduction in reported heat illness incidents from 18 in 1990 to 8 in 1992 was observed.
- A decrease in the maximum recorded WBGT reading for each incident was noted.
- These findings suggest a potential decrease in preventable heat casualties.
Conclusions:
- Adherence to WBGT guidelines by commanders may have led to a reduction in preventable heat casualties.
- The local reporting system for heat casualties, introduced in 1989, facilitated this monitoring.
- Further research into service-wide heat illness monitoring systems is warranted.