The risk of heat stress to people

First paragraph of book chapter: The human body has behavioural and physical mechanisms that work to maintain its core temperature at about 37°C. If the body’s internal temperature rises above this level, then body systems and vital physiological functions are compromised, and in severe cases, death can result. The climatic conditions relevant to such heat stress may be measured in terms of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which takes account of temperature, humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation.1 We calculate WBGT for in-shade (no solar heat addition) or indoor (no air conditioning) conditions from climate data using methods described by Lemke and Kjellstrom.2 We have considered heat stress thresholds relevant to four human interests: survival, sleep, work and sport.