Comparison of Anti-Exposure Suits During Rest and Arm Exercise in Cold Water

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three anti-exposure suits in preventing decreases in body temperatures during intermittent arm exercise in cold water. Ten male subjects were evaluated during waist-high cold-water (7.50C/45.50F) exposure tests consisting of alternating periods of 5 min rest and 15 min arm cycle ergometry. The maximum exposure time was 80 min. Each subject completed tests wearing the: (1) Navy fire resistant coverall (CON), (2) CwU-62/P anti-exposure coverall (CWU), (3) Navy cold weather anti-exposure suit (NCW), and (4) Mustang Survival TF4 anti-exposure suit (MUS) Physiological measures included rectal temperature (Tre) and skin temperatures from the chest (Tch) arm (Tar), finger (Tfj) thigh (Tth), calf (Ta) and toe (Tco). CwU and MUS had significantly (p < 0.05) longer cold-water stay times than CON. There were no significant differences in Tre among suits. The end stay time Tth for CWU was significantly higher than CON, NCW, and MUS. Absolute low Ta values for CWU and NCW were significantly higher than both CON and MUS. No significant differences were found for Tto among suits. *CWU, with its impermeable design, provided the best protection from decreases in body temperatures during intermittent arm exercise in waist-high cold-water.