Body fluid responses of heat-tolerant and intolerant men to work in a hot wet environment.

Acclimatization to heat before proceeding underground is a requirement for each South African mine laborer. Certain individuals among this large population cannot be acclimatized to heat (33.3 degrees C db, 31.7 degrees C wb) and are classified as heat intolerant. In this study certain body fluid responses to heat and work were compared between a group of 19 heat-tolerant (HT) and of 15 heat-intolerant (HI) subjects. To the factors known to affect heat tolerance such as age, weight, and oxygen consumption must now be added differences in body fluid responses. The HI group of subjects failed to hemodilute to the same degree as the HT group though working at the same relative work loads (30% and 50% VO2 max). As the 4-h work period (33.3 degrees C db, 31.7 degrees C wb) continued, the HI group did not maintain hemodilution in spite of the lower absolute work loads, sweat rates, and water deficits suffered by this group. From analysis of blood constituent changes it was suggested that the reason for the differences noted in body fluid dynamics concerned plasma protein equilibrium across capillary walls as well as the protein population of interstitial spaces.