General Procedure for Protective Cooling and Equipment Evaluations Relative to Heat and Cold Stress

As part of the U.S. Army materiel development and acquisition process, clothing and individual equipment (CIE) must undergo a Health Hazard Assessment (HHA) conducted by the U. S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) are world experts in thermal physiology, biophysics, and biomedical modeling and are uniquely capable of providing technical measurements and subject matter expertise for thermal stress associated with CIE. A comprehensive evaluation of thermal stress involves: (1) biophysical measurements of the thermal insulation and moisture permeability of textiles using a guarded hot plate, and of garments using thermal manikins; (2) biomedical modeling to predict physiological (body temperatures, sweating rate and heart rate) strain expected of Soldiers wear the CIE under conditions of environmental (temperature, humidity, air motion, radiant lead) and metabolic (work, rest) stressors; and (3) human volunteer testing of CIE worn by persons exposed to a variety of controlled (laboratory or field) environmental and metabolic stressors.