Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study
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 mitte...
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ftunivarizona:oai:repository.arizona.edu:10150/622383 2023-05-15T13:50:18+02:00 Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study Iserson, Kenneth V. Univ Arizona, Dept Emergency Med 2017-01-23 http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622383 https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 en eng CO-ACTION PUBLISHING https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study 2017, 75 (1):33564 International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2242-3982 27836019 doi:10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622383 International Journal of Circumpolar Health PMC5106465 © 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/). CC-BY clothing hand warmth Antarctica hand protection hand comfort cold injury protection protective gear Article 2017 ftunivarizona https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 2020-06-14T08:15:10Z 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. Open access journal. 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health The University of Arizona: UA Campus Repository Antarctic International Journal of Circumpolar Health 75 1 33564 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The University of Arizona: UA Campus Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivarizona |
language |
English |
topic |
clothing hand warmth Antarctica hand protection hand comfort cold injury protection protective gear |
spellingShingle |
clothing hand warmth Antarctica hand protection hand comfort cold injury protection protective gear Iserson, Kenneth V. Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
topic_facet |
clothing hand warmth Antarctica hand protection hand comfort cold injury protection protective gear |
description |
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. Open access journal. 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. |
author2 |
Univ Arizona, Dept Emergency Med |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Iserson, Kenneth V. |
author_facet |
Iserson, Kenneth V. |
author_sort |
Iserson, Kenneth V. |
title |
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
title_short |
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
title_full |
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
title_fullStr |
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study |
title_sort |
glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an antarctic study |
publisher |
CO-ACTION PUBLISHING |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622383 https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Circumpolar Health International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
op_relation |
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 Glove and mitten protection in extreme cold weather: an Antarctic study 2017, 75 (1):33564 International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2242-3982 27836019 doi:10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 http://hdl.handle.net/10150/622383 International Journal of Circumpolar Health PMC5106465 |
op_rights |
© 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/). |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.33564 |
container_title |
International Journal of Circumpolar Health |
container_volume |
75 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
33564 |
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1766253328081092608 |