Safe Indoor Temperature Limit for Fans
September 3, 2024 updated by: Nicholas Ravanelli, Lakehead University
Fan Use During Extreme Heat: Safe Thermal Limits
Extreme heat events are a significant global threat to health and wellbeing, and result in more morbidity and mortality than all other natural disasters combined.
Thus, a key priority is identifying effective and accessible heat resilience solutions to protect individuals from the potentially fatal consequences of heat stress.
Within a range of ambient conditions, a fan has been recognized a low-cost heat resilience solution.
However, when ambient temperatures exceed skin temperatures (e.g., above 35°C), a fan will incur greater dry heat gain which may be counterbalanced with evaporation of sweat from the skin surface.
However, at a critical indoor temperature, the rate of heat gain will exceed the rate of evaporation resulting in net heat gain.
The critical indoor temperature has yet to be determined.
The purpose of this present study is to identify the indoor temperature at which a fan results in greater cardiovascular and thermal strain relative to still air in young adults using a simulated heat wave scenario of a warming room.
Study Overview
Status
Completed
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Actual)
10
Phase
- Not Applicable
Participation Criteria
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
- Adult
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Body mass index less than 30
- male or female
- ability to tolerate hot environments for a prolonged period (e.g. >2 h)
Exclusion Criteria:
- Any respiratory disease
- Any cardiovascular disease, including hypertension
- Diabetes
- not currently on any medication (except oral contraceptives)
Study Plan
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Prevention
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
- Masking: None (Open Label)
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
|
Rate Pressure Product
Time Frame: At baseline (e.g. 0 minutes), and every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes
|
At baseline (e.g. 0 minutes), and every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes
|
|
|
Core Temperature
Time Frame: Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
|
|
Whole-Body Sweat Rate
Time Frame: Assessed every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes.
|
Net difference in body mass (pre versus post) using a balance scale placed below the chair of the participant
|
Assessed every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes.
|
|
Skin Temperature
Time Frame: Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
Measured at 4 skin locations (chest, arm, thigh, and calf) using wireless iButtons affixed to the skin with surgical tape
|
Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
|
Blood Pressure
Time Frame: At baseline (e.g. 0 minutes), and every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes
|
Measured with an electrocardiogram-gated automated cuff
|
At baseline (e.g. 0 minutes), and every 10 minutes of exposure up to 180 minutes
|
|
Heart Rate
Time Frame: Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
Measured with a 3-lead electrocardiogram
|
Every minute for the 180 minute experimental trial
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Sponsor
Study record dates
These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.
Study Major Dates
Study Start (Actual)
January 20, 2024
Primary Completion (Actual)
April 30, 2024
Study Completion (Actual)
April 30, 2024
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
September 3, 2024
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 3, 2024
First Posted (Estimated)
September 5, 2024
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Estimated)
September 5, 2024
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 3, 2024
Last Verified
September 1, 2024
More Information
Terms related to this study
Other Study ID Numbers
- 26897
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
YES
IPD Plan Description
All deidentified participant data supporting the findings of this study will be made freely available on the Open Science Framework Repository.
IPD Sharing Time Frame
Following publication
IPD Sharing Access Criteria
Anyone will be allowed to access the data supporting the findings through the Open Science Framework Repository.
Drug and device information, study documents
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product
No
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product
No
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
No
This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.