Heat strain is reduced at different rates with hand, foot, forearm or lower leg cooling

Jim House, Mike Tipton

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

    Abstract

    Heatstrain in aircrew is exacerbated when personal protective equipment is worn, due to the restriction of sweat evaporation. The most realistic solution to this problem in the military would be to adopt a cooling garment that removed heat from the body surface by direct conduction. Previous work has indicated that heat may be extracted more effectively from the limbs than the torso of the body: the approach traditionally used in conductive cooling garments. This experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that heat extraction rates when a hand or foot was cooled were greater than that for cooling a forearm or lowerleg. Twenty male subjects undertook a repeated-measures study in which heatstrain was induced by exercising in a hot climate followed by natural cooling (control) or the application of cooling to the hand, foot, forearm or lowerleg. Cooling interventions were undertaken by immersing the site in water at 10°C, but avoiding direct contact with the water by using a plastic bag. Coolingrates were determined from changes in mean body temperature calculated from insulated auditory canal and mean skin temperatures. Mean body temperature and heart rate fell at faster rates in all water-cooling conditions compared to the control (p
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationEnvironmental ergonomics: the ergonomics of human comfort, health, and performance in the thermal environment
    EditorsY. Tochihara, T. Ohnaka
    Place of PublicationOxford
    PublisherElsevier
    Pages91-95
    Number of pages5
    Edition3
    ISBN (Print)9780080444666
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

    Publication series

    NameElsevier ergonomics book series
    PublisherElsevier
    Number3

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