Hypothermia

Working outdoors in Alaska

A recent posting on the Catlin Arctic survey blog discusses the effects of working in temperatures of below -40 degrees centigrade.

Hypothermia is the result of general cooling of the body below 35 degrees C. Early symptoms include tiredness, muscular weakness and confusion. Below 30 to 32 degrees shivering stops and unconsciousness can occur. When shivering stops there is a rapid decrease of body temperature. Death may occur at where the core temperature is around or below 28 degrees C.

The body produces heat and the harder you are working the more heat is generated. At low temperatures we are likely to lose heat to the environment, the extent of this heat loss, however, will be influenced by the amount and type of clothing being worn. Chemical protective clothing can present a particular problem. Even in cold environments it is possible to suffer heat stress and strain where heavy work is being undertaken and impervious clothing is worn which does not allow enough of the heat produced to escape. This is particularly relevant to chemical workers and emergency response personnel.

The Catlin team are pulling heavy sledges of 110 kilos each an average of 6 nautical miles a day. Their clothing is of a high standard in terms of the insulation it provides, but insulation alone is not enough to prevent hypothermia in such extreme conditions as they are experiencing. as the team Doctor notes

“All clothing can do is slow down the process of losing heat. “The only way they can keep the hypothermia at bay is to keep moving and to keep eating”.