Thermal stress in seven types of chemical defense ensembles during moderate exercise in hot environments. Final report, May 1991-July 1992
United States Air Force -(USAF) personnel must perform their duties in many operational environments, including those with the potential for contamination with toxic chemical warfare (CW) agents. This study evaluated the physiological response to thermal stress in subjects performing moderate work in current and prototype chemical protective garments including the Battle Dress Overgarment (BDO)+BDU, BDO without BDU, United Kingdom (UK) undercoverall+BDU, Gore-Tex rainsuit+PJ-7 undercoverall, Marine Light Fighter Suit (MLFS), CWU77P, PJ-7 alone, and the BDU alone. Experimental conditions were dry bulb temperature of 40 deg C (104 deg F), a wet bulb temperature of 270C (80.6 deg F), and a black globe temperature of 450C (113 deg F). Eleven subjects walked on a treadmill at 3 mph with a 5% grade incline until rectal temperature (Tre) rose 1.5 deg C (2.7 deg F) above the starting value. Heart rate, rectal and mean skin temperature, and body heat storage were monitored continuously. Sweat evaporation and production were determined from the differences between pre- and postexperiment clothed and nude weights. Significantly longer work times, lower heart rates, lower Tmsk, and lower heat storage, were seen in the group comprised of the BDU, MLFS, CWU-77P, and PJ-7 compared to the Gore-Tex with PJ-7, UK plus BD BDO+BDU, and BDO no BDU ensembles. Suits which resulted in shorter tolerance times also caused rates of sweat production and lower % sweat evaporation than the less physiologically burdensome suits. Chemical protective ensembles, Thermal stress, Clothing, Exercise.
- Research Organization:
- Armstrong Lab., Brooks AFB, TX (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 5584624
- Report Number(s):
- AD-A-270776/8/XAB; AL-TR-1992-0141
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CHEMICAL WARFARE
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
THERMAL STRESSES
AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
CLOTHING
CONTAMINATION
EVALUATED DATA
EVAPORATION
HEAT
HEAT STORAGE
IN VIVO
SKIN
SWEAT
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
TOLERANCE
TOXIC MATERIALS
UNITED KINGDOM
US DOD
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
BODY
BODY FLUIDS
DATA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY
ENERGY STORAGE
EUROPE
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
STORAGE
STRESSES
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WARFARE
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450600* - Military Technology
Weaponry
& National Defense- Chemical & Biological- (1990)