CHAMBER TESTS WITH HUMAN SUBJECTS. IX. BASIC TESTS WITH H VAPOR,
Abstract
This report describes the results of exposures to H vapor of men wearing ordinary clothing and unprotected except for masks and, in some cases, protective shorts, over a wide range of exposure conditions. The severity and locations of burns from a given CT of H vapor were markedly influenced by the temperature of exposure. At low temperatures (70 F) active sweat secretion and H vapor burns were predominantly in the axillary and genital regions. At high temperatures (90 F), both sweating and H vapor burns were generalized. The threshold temperature for generalized sweating, and consequent increased susceptibility to H vapor, was approximately 85 F for lightly clothed, resting men. Variation in relative humidity had the most pronounced effect on susceptibility to H vapor at 85 F. Conditioning of the men before exposure, either artificially or because of climatic conditions, had a significant effect on the reactions produced from exposure to H vapor. Suppression of sweating by application of aluminum chloride to the axillae prior to exposure reduced the severity of the resulting H burns. The application of lanolin to the skin prior to exposure had no effect on the resulting H burns, whereas wetting of the skin with artificial sweat increased the severity of the burns.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 14, 1945
- Accession Number
- AD0396275
Entities
People
- B. N. Stolp
- H. W. Carhart
- J. C. Conner Jr.
- J. H. Heinen
- W. H. Taylor
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory