The Effect of Fabric Type of Common Iranian Working Clothes on the Induced Cardiac and Physiological Strain Under Heat Stress

Abstract

The present study compared the effect of fabric type of working clothes on heat strain responses in different levels of physical workload and under different kinds of weather conditions. Four kinds of working clothing fabric that are greatly popular in Iranian industry were assessed on 18 healthy male at 2 environments: hot and humid (dry temperature [DBt]: 35°C and relative humidity [RH]: 70%) and hot and dry (DBt: 40°C and RH: 40%). The physiological responses such as heart rate and core body temperature were reported. It was found that there were no significant differences between different types of clothing fabric on cardiac and physiological parameters. It can be recommended that 100% cotton clothing ensemble during low-workload activities and 30.2% cotton–69.8% polyester clothing ensemble during moderate-workload activities is used for Iranian workers to maintain the cardiac and physiological strains as low as possible.

Keywords:

• physiological response
• heat strain
• heat stress
• working clothes