Evaporative cooling and heat stress

Heat stress can occur in people, animals and even equpiment. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other agencies, employees required to work in high temperature environments should be allowed frequent breaks in a cool place to avoid symptoms of heat stress including nausea, dizziness, cramps, confusion, unconsciousness, seizure and even death. High temperature environments are generally referred to as those over 87˚F for light work, over 82˚F for moderate work and over 78˚F for heavy work.

According to the “Journal of Dairy Science”, across all animal classes, the estimated national annual losses to heat stress are estimated at $2.4 billion. In cattle, heat stress reduces fertility and milk production in cows and can cause udder infections and even mortality during the hot summer months. Heat stress is also to blame for a high percentage of piglet and poultry mortality.

Evaporative cooling units, like Port-A-Cool®, can lower the ambient temperature an average of 20˚F, turning a restrictive 90˚F area into a comfortable 70˚F area.

For more information, visit www.port-a-cool.com or call 936-598-5651.