PO-86-14-2 -- Parameters of Human Discomfort in Warm Environments ✓ Most Recent

The relationship between thermoregulatory responses during exposure to warm and hot environments and the associated subjective perceptions, e.g., comfort, thermal sensation, etc., have been studied by numerous investigators over a considerable span of time, i.e., roughly 50 years. Skin temperature, mean body temperature, sweating, and percent of skin wettedness have been shown to have a role in comfort, thermal sensation, and perception of skin moisture. This paper reviews studies concerned with the physical and physiological parameters relative to these subjective responses and their level of magnitude, with primary emphasis on warm discomfort and skin moisture. The review indicates that, while utilizing different methodologies for quantification of skin moisture under a wide range of ambient conditions and experimental protocols, the relationship between skin wettedness and discomfort or unpleasantness is consistent and experimentally supported.

Units: Dual