From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat
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The body's mechanisms for expelling heat
From the course: Occupational Safety and Health: Working in the Heat
The body's mechanisms for expelling heat
- The body moves heat from the core to the surface through vasodilation, that process I described earlier where the blood vessels near the skin get larger and the heart pumps a higher volume of blood, which carries the heat out towards the skin. Once the heat is moved from the core to the surface, the body needs to get rid of that heat. There are several mechanisms the body uses to expel heat and keep its core temperature within a safe range. Radiation is like heat leaving a fireplace. This is the normal process of heat moving away from the body. In cooler weather, this is how the body loses most of its heat. But as the temperature outside rises above your body temperature, radiation becomes less effective. Evaporation is another important mechanism the body uses to cool itself down. When you sweat or perspire, your skin becomes wet and the evaporation of that moisture from your skin causes the body to lose some heat.…
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