Performance Evaluations of Micro- Climate Cooling Products (original) (raw)

Numerous occupations require routine exposures to extreme heat conditions posing significant risks to workers. Cooling vests are one intervention to prevent heat injuries and illnesses in these environments. A three phase project was performed in a thermally controlled environment to evaluate cooling effectiveness of three commercially available cooling vests, HeatShield, AirVest and IsoTherm. Phase I utilized thermal manikins to quantify cooling time using established protocols. Phase II quantified the 2 time required for heart rate and core body temperature to return to normal (both with and without a cooling vest during recovery) following heat exposure. Phase III evaluated core body temperature and heart rate of participants during exercise protocols while wearing a fire fighter's ensemble. Major findings of this study revealed 1) the HeatShield and IsoTherm vests provided cooling for approximately 21 minutes, 2) although recovery times were significantly shorter when both cooling vests were used, the AirVest resulted in the shortest recovery times, and 3) core body temperatures were kept lowest for the AirVest and HeatShield while other physiological measures did not differ. The overall findings of this project support the use of micro-climate cooling products for persons working in extreme thermal conditions.