Tolerance Time for Work in the Heat When Wearing CBR Protective Clothing

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Abstract
THIS study was undertaken to provide quantitative information concerning the work capabilities of a soldier wearing specific items of partially or totally vapor-impermeable clothing. During a preliminary pilot study, two ensembles, the standard CBR protective and a new integrated CBR protective, were evaluated under controlled climatic chamber conditions. The results suggested that, when wearing either of these ensembles (no gross differences were noted between them), soldiers should be heat-acclimatized and physically conditioned if they are to be required to do moderately heavy work for one hour, even in a temperate ambient environment. The data also indicated that to test the clothing out-of-doors where solar radiation must be considered, the temperature should be within a range of from 70° to 90°F and the relative humidity between 30 and 75 percent. Accordingly, a field trial of the standard CBR protective ensemble, the hot-weather protective ensemble, and the standard (nonprotective) utility uniform was conducted at Fort Lee, Virginia. The results of the field test confirmed the chamber findings as to the advisability of heat-acclimatizing individuals wearing protective clothing, and further defined the limitation that is imposed by the current CBR-protective uniforms. Although one CBR protective uniform has been standardized by the military and improved uniforms are under development, all currently conceived protective systems pose a tolerance problem because they encapsulate the wearer. The protective shell interferes with the normal dissipation of body heat and limits the time the wearer can work in a hot environment. By means of a climatic chamber study and a subsequent field test, the wearing time limit for current CBR protective uniforms has been investigated.
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