Physiological Strains of Wearing Aluminized and Non-aluminized Firefighters' Protective Clothing during Exercise in Radiant Heat

This study examined the influences of aluminized (Type A) and non-aluminized firefighters' protective clothing (Type B, C, D and CON) on physiological and subjective responses in radiant heat. Total clothing weight was 6.24, 6.38, 6.06, 5.76 and 3.82 kg for Type A, B, C, D and CON, respectively. Eight firefighters performed exercise at an air temperature of 30℃ with 50%RH. Three bouts of 10 min-bicycle exercise in radiant heat (a globe temperature of 70℃) was spaced by a 10 min rest with no radiant heat. Results showed that rectal temperature, mean skin temperature, heart rate, and body weight loss were significantly greater in Type A than in other types (p