Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study
Author
Iserson, Kenneth V.Affiliation
Univ Arizona, Dept Emergency MedIssue Date
2017-01-23Keywords
clothinghand warmth
Antarctica
hand protection
hand comfort
cold injury protection
protective gear
Metadata
Show full item recordPublisher
CO-ACTION PUBLISHINGCitation
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study 2017, 75 (1):33564 International Journal of Circumpolar HealthRights
© 2016 Kenneth V. Iserson. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Collection Information
This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at repository@u.library.arizona.edu.Abstract
Background: Myths, misconceptions and a general lack of information surround the use of gloves and mittens in extreme cold environments. Objective. This study assessed how well an assortment of gloves and mittens performed in a very cold environment. Methods. A convenience sample of gloves and mittens were tested in Antarctica during the winter of 2016 using a calibrated thermometer (range: -148 degrees F to +158 degrees F/-1008C to +70 degrees C) three times over a 0.5-mile distance (similar to 20 minutes). A small sensor on a 10-foot-long cable was taped to the radial surface of the distal small finger on the non-dominant hand. The tested clothing was donned over the probe, the maximum temperature inside the glove/mitten was established near a building exit (ambient temperature approximately 54 degrees F/12 degrees C), and the building was exited, initiating the test. The hand was kept immobile during the test. Some non-heated gloves were tested with chemical heat warmers placed over the volar or dorsal wrist. Results. The highest starting (96 degrees F/36 degrees C) and ending (82 degrees F/28 degrees C) temperatures were with electrically heated gloves. The lowest starting temperature was with electrically heated gloves with the power off (63 degrees F/17 degrees C). Non-heated gloves with an inserted chemical hand warmer had the lowest minimum temperature (33 degrees F/1 degrees C). Maximum temperatures for gloves/mittens did not correlate well with their minimum temperature. Conclusions. Coverings that maintained finger temperatures within a comfortable and safe range (at or above 59 degrees F/15 degrees C) included the heated gloves and mittens (including some with the power off) and mittens with liners. Mittens without liners (shell) generally performed better than unheated gloves. Better results generally paralleled the item's cost. Inserting chemical heat warmers at the wrist increased heat loss, possibly through the exposed area around the warmer.Note
Open access journal.ISSN
2242-3982PubMed ID
27836019PubMed Central ID
PMC5106465Version
Final published versionAdditional Links
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.3402/ijch.v75.33564