Evaluation of Wearability of Army CBRN Protective Clothing with Different Materials for Inner Layers: Comparisons between Activated Carbon Beads and Activated Carbon Fibers

We assessed postures and movement suitability of wearers when wearing three types of CBR protective clothing: (1) with an inner layer made of activated carbon beads which were laminated on felt (ACB), and two others made of activated carbon fibers which were laminated on felt (ACF-Felt) and fabric (ACF-Fabric).A total of 12 male subjects participated in posture and mobility tests.The posture assessment consisted of 18 postures, while the mobility test consisted of 15 consecutive movements.Using the posture assessment based on movements of the arm, waist, legs, and head/neck joints, we found that ACF-Felt and ACF-Fabric conditions showed relatively less restriction in arm, waist, and leg movements when compared to the ACB condition.The mobility test revealed that there were no significant differences among the three conditions in completion time, heart rate, microclimate temperature and humidity inside the back and thigh areas.However, interviews, which were conducted immediately after the mobility test, indicated that subjects experienced more discomfort and restriction due to the stiffness of materials for the ACB condition when compared to the other two conditions.In summary, this study suggests that body restriction and discomfort during various movements can be improved through changes in the inner and support layer materials without imposing additional cardiovascular or microclimate burdens on the wearer.However, it should be noted that these results were conducted under thermo-neutral conditions without wearing respiratory protective masks.