thoughts on moisture and the human

MOISTURE AND THE HUMAN BODY

Every square inch of the human body has an incredible amount of pores and some places like the feet have more than all other parts of the human body. Moisture in the form of a vapor is always coming out of these pores. The only thing that changes is the rate at which it comes out.

Depending upon the climatic condition this moist vapor will function in a way that is beneficial to human body or it can be detrimental to the human body.

If the human body is situated in a very warm environment the rate of moisture coming out of the pores increases and will condense on the skin surface acting to cool the body.

Moisture is the most efficient absorber of heat on the planet. When skin surface exceeds 91 degrees F the moisture coming out of the pores condenses on the skin surface to absorb the heat thereby cooling the human body.

As the ambient air temperature gets lower the moisture will lose its heat and if it condenses this cooler moisture will do exactly the same as it does when the human body is warm, it will absorb the heat and the human body will now experience being cold.

The parts of the human body that receive limited blood flow such as fingers and toes will experience the cold much sooner than the rest of the human body. All of the moisture coming out of the pores of these parts of the body will also stop as a result of the capillaries bring blood to them; they will constrict so no further blood gets to these parts.

While the human body is in a mild climate such as 75 degrees F and higher it functions very well. In this environment the need for layers of clothing is minimal. It is important that whatever clothing is worn be loose fitting so all moisture generated as sweat be allowed to move freely away from the skin surface. Ideally the clothing should be of a moisture absorbing capability such as cotton. Sweat will be absorbed by the cotton and will move through the fabric from the inside to the outside where it will have the opportunity to evaporate. This action does not take place when the human is wearing any synthetic fabric garment regardless of the chemicals that have been applied to it! The only synthetic garments that will not stifle the movement of the moisture away from the human body are fishnets.

As the temperature gets lower and lower more clothing is used to cover the body. Basically the same principle about how the clothing fits applies; it should be lose fitting to allow the moisture to freely move away from the skin surface. The first layer to be worn is always the fishnets regardless if the human is active. It is vitally important for the moisture to move as freely as possible away from the skin surface to eliminate getting a chill.

Another reason for the loose fitting clothing is to allow greater ease of movement. If the clothing is form fitting each layer will bind to the next layer causing constricted movement. Also any moisture that moves into these fabrics will condense because the moisture movement is constricted. At this point you have moisture absorption and as a result the moisture will cause the human to chill. Remember moisture IS the most efficient absorber of heat on the planet!

Recently the US military is now looking for cold weather footwear. That is not a problem to solve. They know that moisture in footwear is a problem but they are looking at private industry to solve the problem. Unfortunately from what I have seen the footwear manufacturers have not tried to solve the problem with their sales to civilians.

Our military is engaged in wanting cold weather (for arctic conditions) clothing and that includes footwear. Private industry as in the footwear industry has blatantly ignored their own failure. That also includes sock companies. The socks available are all collectors of moisture. The boot companies chose to make boots that retain moisture. Where does the moisture come from; the feet of each human who is wearing these socks and boots? The retention of all of the moisture that comes out of the many pores (250,000 per foot) is significant. That moisture cools very quickly and the end result is cold feet.

Wearing socks that do not absorb moisture and are vapor permeable is the first step in keeping feet warm. But the next step is boots that are also vapor permeable and insulated so the moisture moving away from the foot is unrestricted. And finally the third layer is a well-insulated mukluk.The exterior of the mukluk must be very durable, with a Vibram sole that has been tested for years and proven very successful for snow and ice conditions. The insulation must be dense and resilient and the only insulation that meets those criteria is continuous filament fiber (Lamilite), and the lining should also be durable since you step into the mukluk with boots and vapor permeable. The Wiggy mukluks have been used from the arctic of Alaska to Antarctica and every place in between. Even walking through slush will not affect their performance. They are especially good when worn over boots that have a steel toe. The steel does not get cold.

If the human foot gets cold in arctic conditions the rest of the human will, unless able to get warm in an enclosed heated facility be in a life or death situation.

This situation is not very appealing for soldiers training for possible warfare in arctic conditions. It is mandatory that 100 percent of their clothing work in concert with each layer that is worn. If the human finds that he has to lie up or bivouac what is worn must be lifesaving garments.

I do not believe you can explain what happens when you are trudging through 3 feet of snow and ultimately realize that when you get tired you are going to be where you are resting for 2 hours or 10 hours. The human must experience the situation. If the human is in the arctic region during the winter months there is very little sunlight so the clothing that the human is wearing is what saves the humans life. I have personal experience with this situation which was not in a combat situation. Now I have to imagine what it might be like in a combat situation and I can’t. Those who have experienced combat in any climate can more readily identify with the problems of a cold and snowy situation.

This brings us to the situation of how to deal with the wounded. I will discuss this in a later article.