Critical environmental limits for young, healthy adults (PSU HEAT Project)

Critical environmental limits are those combinations of temperature and humidity above which heat balance cannot be maintained, placing individuals at increased risk of heat-related illness. Those limits have been investigated in young adults during exercise at 30% V̇o 2max , but not during metabolic rates that approximate those of light activities of daily living. Herein, we establish critical environmental limits for young adults at two metabolic rates that reflect activities of daily living and leisurely walking.