Personal protective equipment penetration performance may be affected by temperature and humidity

Abstract

To the Editor, We read with interest the recent article by Wild et al. on the importance of wearing higher protection level gowns during aerosol-generating procedures.1 Their simulation study was mainly based on the penetration of contrast medium diluted with water through different types of gowns. Nevertheless, it has been shown that different ambient, body, and test fluid temperatures and also different types of test fluid may affect the penetration process.2 Moreover, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) might pose a thermoregulation risk to the practitioner by increasing core body temperature.