Evaluation of Whole-Body Anti-Exposure Suits During Exercise in Cold Water

摘要

This study evaluated the effectiveness of three whole-body anti-exposure suits(AESs) in maintaining body temperatures during immersion in cold water (7.5 deg C). Male subjects (n=15) were monitored for rectal (Tre), chest (Tch), arm (Tar), thigh (Tth), calf (Tca) finger (Tfi) and big toe (Tto) temperatures during random trials of coveralls (CON), Marine Corps (MARCOR), Naval Clothing and Textile (NAVCLO), and MultiFabs Survival (MULFAB) suits. Coveralls was the undergarment for AES. Immersion was 20 min to knees, 20 min to waist, and up to 40 min to midchest. Consecutively, subjects did 2 min of rest, 6 min of a pipe-patching task, and 2 min of holding 25 lb over head. Maximum immersion time was 80 min. MULFAB, NAVCLO, and MARCOR provided the best maintenance of body temperatures.