Physiological evaluation of men wearing three different toxicological protective systems

Technical Report · Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:6984928

Levine, L; Cadarette, B S; Sawka, M N; Pandolf, K B

This study examined the physiological responses of seven volunteers exercising in the heat while wearing three different toxicological protective systems. The Toxicological Agent Protective (TAP) suit has been available for use for more than 30 years while the other two protective systems are developmental efforts. The Self-Contained Toxicological Environmental Protection Outfit (STEPO) includes either a backpack-rebreather (with CO{sub 2} scrubber) and ice-cooling vest (STEPO-R), or a tether system which supplies breathing/cooling air inside the suit (STEPO-T). After the volunteers were heat acclimated, the three toxicological protection systems were evaluated utilizing a counter-balanced experimental design initially in a hot and then in a cool environment while subjects walked at 1.12 m/s, 0% grade for an attempted two hours. There was no statistical advantage of any one system in terms of exercise time in the cool environment. While evaporated sweating rate was greater for the STEPO-T in the cool environment compared to both STEPO-R and TAP. Development efforts to improve the STEPO system designs continue, and physiological evaluation of new developmental models is underway.

• Research Organization: Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6984928
• Report Number(s): AD-A-215527/3/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
42 ENGINEERING
CHEMICAL WARFARE
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
EVALUATION
TESTING
AIR
CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS
COOLING
ENVIRONMENT
HEAT
HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING
PHYSIOLOGY
RESPIRATION
TOXIC MATERIALS
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ENERGY
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GASES
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450600* - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Chemical & Biological- (1990)
420202 - Engineering- Protective Structures & Equipment