Physiological evaluation of air-fed ensembles

Details

• Personal Author:
  Novak DA ; Powell JB ; Sinkule EJ ; Turner NL
• Description:
  The goal of this study was to evaluate the respiratory and metabolic stresses of air-fed ensembles used by workers in the nuclear, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries during rest, low-, and moderate-intensity treadmill exercise. Fourteen men and six women wore two different air-fed ensembles (AFE-1 and AFE-2) and one two-piece supplied-air respirator (SA) at rest (REST) and while walking for 6min at oxygen consumption (V.O2) rates of 1.0 (LOW) and 2.0 l min-1 (MOD). Inhaled CO2 (FICO2), inhaled O2 (FIO2), pressure, and temperature were measured continuously breath-by-breath. For both LOW and MOD, FICO2 was significantly lower (P < 0.03) and FIO2 was significantly greater (P < 0.008) for SA compared with AFE-1 and AFE-2 in women, while in men, similar trends were observed. Significantly lower FICO2 (P < 0.009) and significantly greater FIO2 (P < 0.04) were consistently observed in AFE-1 compared with AFE-2 in men during LOW and MOD. For both men and women, average FICO2 exceeded 2.0% in AFE-2 during MOD. During LOW and MOD, average FIO2 in AFE-1 and AFE-2 dropped <19.5% in men and women. For men and women, average inhalation pressures (PIave) were significantly greater in both air-fed ensembles than SA (P < 0.001) during REST, LOW, and MOD. Inhaled gas temperature was significantly lower in SA than in either air-fed ensemble (P < 0.001). When the air supply was shut off during walking, the time taken for minimum FICO2 to reach 2.0% was <38 s for all three ensembles in both men and women, an observation that has implications for the design of emergency escape protocols for air-fed ensemble wearers. Results show that inhaled gas concentrations may reach physiologically stressful levels in air-fed ensembles during moderate-intensity treadmill walking. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Energy Metabolism Men Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Devices Respiratory System Safety Women
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Air-fed Ensemble Humans Metabolism Oxygen Consumption Physiological-factors Physiological-function Physiological-stress Physiological-testing Physiology Protective Suits Respiration Respirators Respiratory-protection Respiratory-protective-equipment Respiratory-rate

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• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; Pennsylvania ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs ; NPPTL - National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  241-250
• Volume:
  58
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20043579
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2014 Mar; 58(2):241-250
• Contact Point Address:
  Nina L. Turner, Office of Extramural Programs, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  nturner@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2014
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:4fd1c5505d3d76d8afe7112165c5ab1243cd1bba7a9e0a9aea9913b353ae305ada279d74d1579613bac7c0a507e395104e60cfa2c0ba538675d605123daa8e43
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195447/cdc_195447_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 3.79 MB ]