Air/CO2 cooling garment: Description and benefits of use for subjects exposed to a hot and humid climate during physical activities

Abstract

Abstract The severity of the hot and humid conditions to which miners are exposed increases as the depth of the work site increases. This can cause heat stress that can greatly affect the health and safety of workers. To resolve this, a cooling garment has been developed that uses an atmospheric discharge of liquid CO2 to create a cool microclimate with an average temperature of 12.5 (±0.4)\u202f°C beneath the garment. To evaluate the garment’s cooling efficiency, 19 male subjects participated in an experimental procedure. The two modes, cooling on and off, were compared. Significant physiological differences were found between the two modes after minute 27 (p