Influence of undershirt type on physiological responses while exercising in the heat

[Extract] Australian soldiers typically wear a 100% cotton t-shirt underneath their disruptive pattern combat uniform (DPCU). When working in hot environments it has been questioned whether removing the t-shirt would improve a soldier's heat loss capacity. Furthermore, in recent years there has been an emergence of tight-fitting polyester t-shirts and manufacturers claim that these garments will cool the body by wicking sweat away from the skin. Wickwire et al [1] found wearing a tight-fitting synthetic t-shirt, under protective body armour, had no effect on body heat loss. This is not surprising, as no evaporative heat loss can occur through the body armour. If, however, a polyester t-shirt is combined with a more permeable over-garment (i.e. combat uniform) a greater cooling effect may be possible. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether i) wearing a t-shirt underneath DPCU reduces body heat loss and ii) wearing a tight-fitting polyester t-shirt improves body heat loss.

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ICEE 2009: 13th International Conference on Environmental Ergonomics

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978-1-74128-179-8

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