# The influence of air temperature on the subjective feelings of barrier suit users

## TL;DR

This study shows that air temperature affects how people feel while wearing protective barrier suits, with cooler temperatures reducing discomfort after just one hour.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that air temperature significantly influences subjective user experiences of barrier suits within one hour of exposure.

## Key findings

- Air temperature impacts subjective assessments of barrier suit users after one hour of exposure.
- Controlling air temperature via air conditioning can reduce physiological and psychomotor disorders.
- Test results show that cooler conditions (22°C) are better tolerated than warmer ones (29°C).

## Abstract

A set of protective clothing against infectious agents (PPE) is intended to prevent infection with pathogens, and the required high level of protection hinders heat exchange due to sweat evaporation. In heat stress conditions, evaporative heat loss through the skin from the user body to the external environment is then difficult or very limited, resulting in a significant impairment of overall heat exchange/transfer and, consequently, affects the productivity and health of PPE users. In order to check how the type of PPE clothing used and particular microclimatic conditions affect the subjective feelings of users, tests were conducted under controlled conditions in a climatic chamber. Two variants of the study were conducted: W1 - set with a barrier suit at an air temperature of 29 oC, W2 - set with a barrier suit at an air temperature of 22 oC. The results of the conducted studies indicate that the temperature of conducting the test has an impact on the subjective assessments of users of barrier clothing, after just 1 h of exposure. Controlling the air temperature (e.g. in a room) through air conditioning can reduce the intensity of physiological and psychomotor disorders.