AD P002928THE EFFECTS OF WEATHER SENSITIVITY ON STRESSED PERSONNEL

DR, CHARLES WALLACH

Decisions and Designs, Inc.8400 Westpark DriveMcLean, VA 22101

\\, INTRODUCTION

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Over the past decade or so the discipline of BehavioralScience has grown to include the study of biochemical effectson human behavior. In earlier days, behaviorists concernedthemselves mostly with learning and conditiouing phenomena,with motivation and attitude modificatiL., and other formsof applied p3ychology that operated above eyebrow level.Now we are rapidly breakinq new ground in the field ofpsychophysiology, in establishing mind/body interactions,and in developing an understanding of the important role ofbiochemistry in controlling brain activity--even at thelevel of emotional and social behavior.

Svbstantial impetus toward this new frontier was gen-erated by the pioneering work of Dr. Albert P. Krueger, ofthe University of California, in finding a link between theelectrical qualities of enviroroa.ental air and blood serunlevels of serotonin--a potent nea•rotransmitter hormone whichhas been closely associated wiu stress.

Others who follow him have aucceaded in relating thebalance of airborne electrical charges (ions) to the pro-ductioii or inhibition of other hormones, or biochemicalfamilies, and in tracing the effects of these relationshipsS : in influencing h,.LTan bthavior over a surprisingly broadrange of emotional manifestations and physiological metabolisms.

These studies, together with the rapid advance in thetechnology of bioassay which enable us to objectively provemany of the links between the external environmieent and theinternal biochemical balances, are beinca extended to thediscovery of other environmental affectore which impact onhuman mind/body interactions, behavior and metabolisms.

r. We are now engaged in exploring the effects on behaviorof such environmental factors as light, color, energy fields

k. (sferics) and sound. And we are finding that a great manybehavioral phenomena which were formerly thought to begenerated above eyebrow level, are actually triggered bysensory and subsenuory stimuli from the external environment.

: This new class of subtle, external triggers is callediz 'Microbiological Envizonmental Affectors" (MEA's), to ,

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distinguish them from primary chemical allergens--althoughthe two groups often have similar effects. One of theseMrA's is the atmospheric ion factor, the effects of whichware first observed in the context of human weather sensi-tivity; and the purpose of this paper is to describe howthis particular factor may relate to the human factors andergonomics of physical security.

WEATHER SENSITIVITY AND STRESS

Considering for the moment only the ion factor, bio-meteorological studies indicate that about a third of anylarge population sample may be found "weather sensitive" toan easily measurable degree, and another third at a moresubliminal level. This sensitivity is even further height-ened in individuals 'y the presence of other forms ofphysical or psychological st?.esses which alter the normal,baseline balances of biochemical groups.

At the present state of the art of bioassay, the fourbioch.&,-mical groups among which such variations can be meaz-u•'ed among the more sensitive fraction of the populationare:

serotonin/endorphin - related to stress and paii.;

catecholamines - related to fatigue and alertness;

thyroid factions - may relate to mental stability.

These indicated relationshir& are really gross oversimpli-fications, but may serve our immediate purpose and avoidboring you with technicalities. Also, there is a widevariation among individuals in the degree to which any oneof these groups is affected; that is to say, it is mostunlikely that anyone would experience irritability, fatigue,breathlessness and a touch of paranoia all at the same time,under depressive atmospheric conditions.

In analyzing the biodynamics of these effects, weather-* change vectors were identified as:

temperature,

humidity,

atmospheric pressure,

electrostatic field gradients,

+/- gaseous ion balance.

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But experimental evidence indicates that within its normalrange of meteorological excursions, each of these vectorscan be eliminated as the basic cause of such biochemicalshifts except the ion balance factor.

iAmong those individuals who exhibit observable forms ofweather sensitivity--or perhaps we can call this "ionsensitivity"--under suboptimum ion balance conditions,nearly half (44%) show serotonin-related symptoms dominantly,and a like proportion experience catecholamine-relatedsymptoms. Only about 13% show signs of interference withthyroid metabolism resulting in irrational behavior, andthis usually develops only after several hours in the depres-sive atmospheric environment when other stresses are present.In addition to these specific effects, there is evidence ofan overriding prostagiandin disbalance (related to bloodcirculation and respiration problems) which may affect alarge but undetermined fraction.

There are, of course, many kinds of ions in solids,liquids and gasses; for our purpose we will consider onlythe class of monomolecular, gaseous ions which interactelectrically at the surface of living tissue. In this con-text, a negative ion is a neutral molecule (usually O0)which has captured an extra free electron and is attractedto any other molecule or surface with a more positive charge,where it delivers over its extra electron and becomes neutralagain.

Conversely, a positive ion is a molecule which has hadone of its normal complement of electrons knocked away bysome nearby, random, subatomic event; then it is attractedtoward any more negatively charged surface where it caneasily replace its missing electron at a low energy level.

Both positive and negative ions are being created con-tinuously by the various forces of nature, but they areS~usually short-li.ved because they are continuously beingreneutralized by this process of electron change.

Let's assume, for example, that during one inspirationa million negative ions enter the respiratory system, andeach one delivers up ite extra electron to the surfacetissues of the bronchi and lungs. These milliton newlyliberated electrons would tend to travel .to the deepertissues of the body in the form of a disperse current flow.This would tend to affect the electtical fields of cellsinvolved in the manufacture of biochemicals and to influencethe metabolism of these biochemicals.

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I say "tend to" because during the same inspiration,perhaps a million positive ions also enter the respiratorysystem, and each of these borrows an electron from thetissue surface it encounters. These electrons would bereplaced at the surface from deeper tissues and tend tostart a disperse current flow out of the body; but in thiscase, where the effects of the positive and negative ionsare equal and opposite, the net current flow would be zero.

So it is only when there is a prepondernace of eitherpositive or negative ions that this electron-exchange phe-nomenon results in electrochemical effects in the deepertissues, and so alters the orchestration of our complexbiochemical systems.

In fresh, outside air during fair weather, there areroughly equal concentrations of +/- ions; we consider thisas normal, or baseline, ion balance. However, precedingevery storm (sometimes by as much as a day or two, dependingon the severity of the storm) there is a substantial-to-massive increase in the concentration of positive ions,which has a "negative" effect on ion-sensitive people. Thisis why some folks become irritable, dull-witted, less pro-ductive, depressed or more sensitive to pain under prestormconditions, especially when they are supporting other formsof stress.

After the storm, this air-ion disbalance is quicklyreversed, and there is an overabundance of negative ions.This not only relieves the symptoms of positive-ion depres-sion, but often produces euphoria, heightened vitality,alertness, enhanced sensory acuity and--if we can extra-polate the observations of animal breeders--heightenedsexual drive.

SKnowing this, a field commander might achieve a slighttactical edge by artificially charging Lhs personnel withnegative ions and attacking the enemy just before a majorstorm, given a good meteorologist on his staff.

But weather effects are transitory and seldom comformto the order of battle, although it might be useful to keepthem in mind when major storms are in the offing. What isof significance here, however, is that we are just beginningto recognize the fact that with our modern, efficient archi-tecture, we are creating artificial working environments Inwhich we have verM- often 8imu•ated the most severe prestorm,high-positive-ion conditions, to the serious detriment of acertain number of our personnel working under stressfulconditiona which inevitably are situations requiring ve2'yhigh levels of vigilance, sensory acuity and fast reactiontime or, for that matter, the exercise of high levels ofintelligence in planning and command tasks.

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CONTINUOUS PRESTORM IONIZATION CONDITIONS CREATEDIN MAN-MADE STRUCTURES

The architecture of watchowers, interior guard postsl,control 2 and communications rooms 3 is generally highlyspace-efficient, particularly in windowless, hardened sites.This is also true of patrol vehicles and armor 4 . Theseenvironments always include some combination of other factors,each of which contributes either to the reduction of nega-tive ions, the increase of positive ions, or both. Themagnitude of the resulting shift in ion balance often greatlyexceeds that of natural, prestorm conditions, to the pointwhere measurable performance degradation can be observedamong personnel working in such environments for hours at atime.

Some of the factors which contribute to this effect

are:

inadequate window area or very thick windows;

forced-air circulation through ducts;

wind friction on external building (or vehicle)surfaces;

air-conditioning and filtering equipment;

fluorescent lighting fixtures:

low ceilings (8' or under); 3

electrical equipment (radios, displays, typewriters);

syntheti~c floor surfaces and ceiling materials;

tobacco smoke;

large metal furniture (cabinets, safes, desks,* etc.)

Numerous measurem'nts made with laboratory instrumentation* in such typical environments, and also in cloced vehicles,

provide objective evidence of massive ion-balance deficien-cies and support the subjective reports of personnel working

* therein. For example--and this is only one of many in-stances--in the Spring of 1978 I was invited to make ionmpasurements in the Defense Nuclear Agency office suiteoccupied by Marvin Beasley's officers and colleagues.

At 2:10 p.m., ivnmediataly prior to these tests, meas-K surements were made in the fresh, outside air in a shadyarea on the lawn outside the DNA Headquarters; we found a

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positive ion count of 1,11.0 ions per cubic centimeter ofair, and a negative count of 960/cc. This indicated a +/-ratio of 1.16:1, which is quite normal for fair weatherconditions in a rural environment, and a total ion count of2,070/cc (a parameter which is of long-term biologicalsignificance). 5 At about 2:20 p.m., in the testing area, wemeasured about +80/16, or a ratio of 5:1 and a total of96 ions/cc, or about 6% of an acceptable, healthful level.In fact it was difficult to determine values accurately solow on the scalar levels of the instruments.

After taking these measurements, I interviewed thepersonnel and learned that about half of them were aware ofbecoming progressively more inefficient and dull-wittedtowards the end of the day; this was particularly true ofthe nonsmokers affected by the heavy output of tobacco smokewithout benefitting from the stimulation of the nicotine,and it was also noted that the coffee consumption of thisgroup was unusually high with respect to the norm amongpersonnel on other floors of the building with well-windowedand more spacious offices.

Apart from the professional and scientific interest ofthese officers and civilians, another purpose of this testwas to evaluate the need for the installation of electronicnegative ion generators, to restore a more natural ion bal-ance and increase the very low total-ion count. Two suchdevices were subsequently tested on a loan basis, and theobserv3d environmental improvement was determined to justifyprocurement requisitions which were submitted in due course.Unfortunately for these personnel, however, acquisition wasvetoed by someone sitting in a spacious, airy office up-stairs.

This brings up the point that not everyone is aware ofbeing affected by unnatural ionic conditions, probablybecause their autonomic biochemical control systems arecapable of compensating for these effects. So it is under-standable that people not continuously subjected to poorionic environments, and also ic -(-;nsinsitive individualsusually find it difficult to s .:. ue with the sensitives,or to accept the fact that such effects exist. There appearsto be a genetic factor involved in ion-sensitivity, which isoften reflected in body type and evidenced in sustainedlevels of task performance or work output.

A typically ion-insensitive individual is characteris-tically found to have a sturdy skeletal structure and body-build, and a brachycephalic skull configuration. MaryBeasley, whom we all know, is an excellent example; he isalso capable of working effectively in that difficultoffice environment for hours after his colleagues have left

in a miasma of fatigue. Although apparently insensitive toion balance effects himself, it is a tribute to his keen

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perception that he recognizes such effects may occur amongthe tall, thin, narrow-headed or corpulent body-types amongwhich ion sensitivity appears to be common. I trust he willforgive me for using him as an example in the interests ofbehavioral science, of which he has always been a strongproponent.

ION SENSITIVITY COUNTERMEASURES

Where deviations from acceptable ion densities and/or* balances are observed to exist in working environments, they

can be countered effectively and economically by the instal-lation of suitable el(.ctronic devices which create negativeions to offset high attrition rates in poor ionic environ-ments. Concurrently with the spread of information on thebiological effects of air-ion balance in journalisticmedia, there has been a proliferation of poorly designedion-generation systems brought into the market; these havebeen responsible for enough disappointing experiences amongthe nontechnical public to somewhat slow general acceptanceof the technology. But high-quality, professional devicesare available for these applications at a cost of $1 or lessper square foot of working space coverage. 6

Negative ion concentrations produced by these devicesvary geometrically with distance from the source and are alsoaffected by local air currents; but quantitative meas-urements are not critical to the application within theireffective range of six to ten foet, as there are no harmfulside-effects from large concentrations of negative ions 7 --

* which often achieve 20 to 4' times baseline levels undernatural conditions at seashore sites, in pine forests ornearby waterfalls.

Figure 1 is a matrix of weighted values compiled fronI the medical literature and may serve as a useful guide toacceptable levels in working, standby and living environments.

In the profession of physical security and safeguards,

it is not possible to quantify the value of human performancequality; a small increment of degradation may be analagousto the proverbial horseshoe nail that lost the Battle ofHastings. To lend some perspective, let's assume that onequarter of a given guard force is made up of ion-sensitiveindividuals, and that under adverse weather or ion-environ-mental conditions we can measure an average of 20% vigilancedegradation; these figures are very conservative with respectto actual field observations.

This represents an overall 5% reduction in force effec-tiveness which, if sustained over long periods, begins toimpact on that subtle factor of motivation but may not

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FIGURE 1

N. B. TOTAL ION DENS ITY RELATES TO LONG-TER14 META-BOLIC EFFECTSSUCH AS SODIUM/POTASISIUM LEVELS. W1 aZNCE RELATES TOSHORT-TERM ý.IOCHE24ICAL EFFECTS MORE RELEV*\NT TO THE EFFECTS,DISCUSSED IN THIS PAPER.

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otherwise look like a major threat. On the other hand, inDon Richard's scenario with the fishpole, the sensitivegroup on the average might start ignoring a signal after thefourth false alarm instead of after the fifth; again, thismay not seem of great importance. But consider the one ortwo individuals in this sensitive group at the extreme ofthe sensitivity range (S.D. = 8%) whose performance may bedegraded by 50% or 60%; these are the ones whose performanceprofile will reveal the greatest vulnerability; they're theones who are most art to go off half-cocked and fire theunnecessary shot that starts the war.

Of course these highly ion-sensitive individuals shouldnever have been assigned to such critical duties in thefirst place, which brings us to the excellent argumentsadvanced by Clare Goodman for the development of an ergo-nomics data system to meet the requirements of personnelselection in physical security tasking. Gross probabilityof individual ion balance susceptibility should not bedifficult to evaluate, and there appears to be good justi-fication for using this parameter in the selection process.Early fatigue is another dominant characteristic of ionsensitivity (43% incidence of the catecholamine syndrome),and Larry Ewing's remarks about fatigue in his shipboardbehavioral model offer additional justification for ergo-nomic measurements of ion sensitivity, particularly as thisis closely related to stress-level by virtue of the serotoninconnection.

It may be some time before we arzrve at the point wherewe can eliminate hypersensitive and hyperstressed personnelfrom critical task assignments under potentially suboptimumionic conditions; in the meantime, there are electronicdevices and systems available to im~prove the quality of suchenvironments and lessen the constant threat of human fal-libility in critical security tasks. Some immediate appli-cations of these devices which may be of interest to thisI symposium are:

GUARD POSTS - to enhance vigilance 12 18 and sensoryacuity9

PATROL VEHICLES - to minimize reaction time4

CRISIS CENTERS - alertness; minimizes brain-fog andfatigue of sustained tension (andtobacco smoke fog)

DEtONTA1I14TION - rapid precipitation of airborneparticles1 0 and acceleration of4 lung clearance through biologicalaction (radioactive particles)

WOUNDS - reduces trauma shock and accelerates recoveryfrom blood loss !

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DETENTION FACILITIZS - reduces stress-induceddisciplinary problemsand the spread of air-borne respiratory diseases

It is noted parenthetically that Daryl Solomonson's investi-gation of behavior in watchtowers revealed a common syndromeof troublesome discomfort and nausea in windy weather; thisis attributed to tower sway by association rather thanthrough any objective evidence. In fact, the friction ofwind on the metal housing imparts a positive electrostaticcharge which, inside the enclosure, quickly attracts anddepletes the negative ion population. This is the samephenomenon that occurs in moving vehicles, and accounts fora large fraction of motion sickness problems. Many suchsufferers have found that the use of a small generator toreplace the depleted negati'Te ions will prevent the onset orrelieve the severity of these symptoms. I do not suppose,however, that this would be helpful ia nausea induced byvertigo, which inv'olves a different set of neurophysiologicaldynamics.

NEAR-TERM RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Our analysis of the literature indicates that up to 20%of a healthy, military force may be transiently affected byion shifts up to 48 hours prior to and during storms andsustained high winds. The specific effects involves degrada-tion of vigilanoe, sensory acuity, reaction time, mentalalterness and stamina. The personnel screening and selec-tion process for assignments requiring optimum performancein these behavioral areas does not now include accessablephysical parameters of weather sensitivity because thesehave not been adequately evaluated and defined. Some prom-ising starts have been ma-de in this direction, which indi-

cate potentially useful approaches to the rapid developmentof suitable ergonomic standards if this effort is givenappropriate support.

More significantly, up to 651 of the personnel w rkingand/or living in enclosed artificial environments (buildin4or vehicles) under poor ionic conditions probably experiencesimilar performance degradations which increase at varyingrates with exposure duration. As erqonomic screeningsuch a large group would not be- feasible, the more practicaland economical alternative of artificially restoring normalion balhnces is the indicated countermeasure. Our researchtargets whould therefore include:

1. evaluation of +/- ion ratio thresholds to estab-lish boundary conditions and acceptable exposureintervals;

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2. quantitative analysis of effects and susceptibilityindex of typical populations;

3. development of architectural standards to mini-mize deleterious ion balance conditions;

4. application engineering standards for determiningspecific space requirements for negative iongeneration equipment;

5. ion generator equipment design and perform:ancespecifications for (a) preliminary researchefforts, and (b) field use.

These are not listed by priority, as there is some inter-dependence among these efforts and the different disciplinesinvolved.

by Decisions and Designs, Inc. (DDI) is currently taskedby DNA to explore the application of ion technology in the

intrusion-detection modality, as some of these devices haveproven to be highly effective sensors in this application.This development will be reported elsewhere, as it does notrelate to behavioral science; however, in the performance ofthese task requirements, DDI has developed an exceptionallyfine air-ion measurements laboratory and &n extensive back-ground in the basic physics and technology of ion generation.It is hoped that organizations investigating the biologicaleffects of air-ion balance and density will be able to makeeffective use of this resource.

THE SHAPE OF THE FUTURE

In discussing the effects of weather and ion sensi-tivity on stressed personnel, we are focussing only on thetransient effects of a single facet of MicrobiologicalEnvironmental Affects (MEA's) mentioned in my introductoryremarks. There are a number of other significant MEA's--light spectra, sound, olfaction, enerqy fields (sferics)--whi-1- impact upon the human biochemical systems in varying,indivi.u..-.b- e - 'I- chape behavior. Under modernenvironmenta.L ...--- • .utainedore aont0 -rJaual, rather than peculi to a short-term

working environment, they may bring about long-term cumu-lative behavioral changes which begin to affect socialstructures when a large enough fraction of the population"is involved.

This is precisely the case where both wor.inq and[ l11-ng envirctments in modern, urban and s-uburban of 1natit,"-tiow%. settine are subopti-um or worse with respect tv

KEA fact--s.

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As new population groups undergo a transition fromtheir accustomed, traditional, rural living environments *olife in crowded, noisy poorly ventilated and ill-illuminatIAquarters in urban, inner-city or fringe-area slums, muchhigh incidence of MEA-sensitivity will be found among the i

* unhabituated groups. In terms of social stresses and be-havicral patterns, this impacts particularly on the young, rpopulation in growth and maturation stages. Such group, xayrequire a qenerItion or more to adapt to the biochemishifts triggered by the MEA's of new environments, a'. theresulting psychological stresses may be evidenced in wayswhich become statistically apparent to the social cientist.

For example, at least some part of the inelýtablyrising crime rate among the 14-34 year segment of inner-citypopulations in this country could conceivably be linked tolack of adaptation to stress-inducing MEA's. Similarly, theprogressive increase in terrorism observed in emergingcountries, where urbanization is proceeding rapidly amonglow-income, pastoral populations, could conceivably belinked to novel environmental factors.

This suggests the possibility that there may be abiologicat factor involved in the rise of crime and ter-rorism, which is being manifested as heightened socialstresses among a portion of the younger generations.

Evidence at hand is sufficient to warrant investigationof this possibility on a broad, multidisciplinary scale, inthe interests of shaping peaceful, productive societies. Itis in areas such as this that behavioral science may havesubstantial contributions to make in shaping the future.

1220 Blair Hill RoadSilver Spring, MD 20910

12 June 14980

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l • ~B IBL IOGRAEHY

1. Effects of Air Ionization upon the Performance of aVigilance Task, HaLcomb, C. G. and Kirk., R. E.1965, J. Engineering Psychology, v4/4, pp 120-126.

2. Air Ions In Physical Medicine and Environmental Engineers,Laws, C, A., Holiday, E. R.January 1975.

3. Communications Room Ambiance, WallUcch, C.1979, IACP Equipment Technology Center, Bulletin 79-4.

4. New Police Car Safety Development, Wallach, C.1979, IACP Equipment Technology Center, Bulletin 79-3.

5. Influence of Ionization on Endocrine Glands,Gaaltierotti, R.BIOCI.IMATOLOGY, BIOMETEOROLOGY AND AEROIONOTHERAPY,1968, Carlo Erba Foundation, Milan, 167 pp, illus., $22.

6. UPDATING THE ION CONTROVERSY, Wallach, C.1979, Int'l Bio-Environmental Foundation, MD 20910,98 pp, $6.50.

7. Absence of Harmful Effects ot Protracted Negative AirIonization, Sulman, F. G. et al.1978, Int'l J. Biometeorology, v22/1, pp 53-58.

8. Air Ions and Hman Performance, Hawkins, L. G. a;ndBarker, T.l978, Ergonomics, v21/4, pp 273-178.

9. The Effects of Atmospheric Ions on Visual Parameters,Mizusawa, K.1969, Proc. SPIE Space Optics Seminar, v19, pp 23-26.

10. Air Ionization: A Possible Method in Controlling AirContamination, MaKea, P. et at.

* .1978. Proc. 4th Int'l Symposium on Contamination Control.

.i. Effect of Inhalations of Air ions on the Electro-ChemicalPtoperties of Blood during Exc.nguination and Recoveryof Cats, Kusmina, T. R.1967, Int'l J. Biometeorology, vll/2, pp 191-194.

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