THE COLD FILES
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE
AT MINUS 35
STUDY OF THE PROBLEM OF “COLD”
cold (according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary)
- cold weather
- the prevalence of a low temperature
- not heated
- an infection in which the mucous membrane of the nose and throat becomes inflamed
- undemonstrative, apathetic
- lacking friendliness or affection
“It was so cold that I could piss and lean on it or spit and it would bounce”
(1997 Graham Kent, winter adventure guide)
CONTENTS
Chapter 1. The body
Chapter 2. Conditions: - atmospheric conditions
- personal conditions
Chapter 3. Effects: - supercooling
- dehydration
- freezing
- material
Chapter 4. Protective materials
Chapter 5. Attitude: - clothing
- positive actions
- negative actions
Chapter 6. Conclusion: - result
Chapter 7. Study sources
By Bart Van Linden
2002
Chapter 1. THE BODY:
(the functioning of the human body in a “cold” environment)
“Put on your hat, if not you will get cold feet” (1997 author’s mother)
The body tries to maintain a steady temperature by using the extreme limbs as ventilators in case of high temperatures. To this end, the blood vessels in these limbs expand so that more blood flows to the skin surface to cool down the latter. When the temperature is falling, the blood vessels contract to keep the heat of the blood within the body, which results in cold limbs. That is why hands and feet are benumbed with cold and are the first to show signs of freezing.
As the brain needs oxygen to be able to function and as the blood supplies oxygen, the body cannot reduce the supply of blood towards the head to keep heat. In this way, the head always continues to function as a ventilator with a lot of blood circulation at the skin surface, resulting in the loss of a great deal of the body heat by way of the back of the neck and the head (turn to my mother’s remark at the beginning of this chapter).
1) Radiator effect: the above- mentioned functioning of the body regulates 55 % of the body heat. The naked skin and the head directly evacuate heat. At + 5 °C, half of the total body heat production can be lost by way of the head, and up to ¾ at – 15 °C.
2) Loss by contact: 15 % of the body heat production can be lost as a result of contact with cold objects (metal, petrol, …) and clothing that is wet and too tight (especially by way of the hands). The use on the naked skin of alcohol, petrol and other liquids of which the freezing point is lower than the freezing point of water, is dangerous. Heat is also lost because of the wind (turn to chapter 2), which carries away the heat from the skin surface.
3) Evaporation: 21 % of the heat can be lost by evaporation. Skin fluid (sweat) and fluid of the lungs transport a part of the body heat. There is not much we can do to stop this. For that reason, the fluid should leave the skin as quickly as possible so that the fluid, once it has cooled down, cannot result in additional cooling down of the body (turn to chapter 2).
4) Breathing: 2 - 9 % of the heat is lost by breathing in cold air and breathing out hot air.
DID YOU KNOW THAT: “shivering is one of the natural reactions of the body to heat up oneself by movement. This is also true for goose flesh, which makes the hairs stand up straight by means of the little muscles at the basis of all of those body hairs so that more air passes through the little hairs, resulting in better isolation. Of course, this reaction has become rather useless: it is a reaction of the body that dates from the time when we had as much hair growth on our body as on our head.”
Chapter 2. CONDITIONS:
(conditions influencing the “cold” at steady temperatures)
“By March 13, the temperature fell to – 47 °C, but our hard work, combined with increasing sunshine each day, kept us warm.” (1909 Matthew Henson, polar explorer)
1) Atmospheric conditions:
- humidity: - atmospheric humidity
- water (rain, fog, …)
When the skin is exposed to water (regardless of the state of the water), it is cooled down more quickly because of loss of heat through contact (turn to chapter 1).
E.g.: wet a part of your body with water of the same temperature as the room temperature; the wet part feels colder.
- wind: - speed of displacement or movement
- wind speed
The speed of the wind and the speed of a movement or displacement will, according to its strength, result in a quicker removal of heat.
E.g.: make sure the temperature inside the car is the same as the outside temperature. On the motorway, put one arm outside: the latter will cool down very quickly.
The following table gives a survey of the degree of coldness of the wind at certain temperatures and wind (or speed of displacement) expressed in meter per second.
|
|
+ 15 °C |
+ 10 °C |
+ 5 °C |
0 °C |
- 5 °C |
- 10 °C |
- 15 °C |
|
3 m/s |
10 |
7 |
2 |
- 5 |
- 10 |
- 15 |
- 20 |
|
6 m/s |
7 |
2 |
- 2 |
- 10 |
- 16 |
- 24 |
- 30 |
|
8 m/s |
5 |
0 |
- 6 |
- 15 |
- 20 |
- 29 |
- 35 |
|
11 m/s |
3 |
- 2 |
- 10 |
- 20 |
- 23 |
- 32 |
- 39 |
….. = humid cold (the most difficult cold to choose the right clothing)
….. = dry cold (the wind is mostly the main problem)
….. = arctic cold (the physical characteristics of most materials change)
- body heat: - movement
- nutrition
- drinking
When the body makes great efforts, it produces heat. Intensive movements such as running are a good example. In these circumstances, the body however will try to evacuate the excess heat and the blood vessels will expand (the skin turns red). For that reason, there will be soon a loss of heat when one stops moving. The digestion, on the other hand, will produce a lot of heat without opening the blood vessels too quickly. That is why it is important to eat and drink products with a high energy level (it does not really matter whether they are hot or tepid).
E.g.: whereas you need thick clothing for a walk, you will need far less clothing when running in the same weather conditions.
- oxygen content: - height
In case of a low oxygen content, the body will send more blood to the head by sending less blood through the limbs. As a result, the limbs will cool down more quickly and more heat will be lost by way of the head and the neck.
E.g.: when climbing high mountaintops, one will feel that little movements (=little production of heat) become difficult efforts (a lot of fluid and therefore a loss of heat) and will breathe a lot more quickly (= again a great loss of heat).
2)Personal conditions:
- tiredness:
A tired person will cool down a lot more quickly, no matter whether this tiredness is of a physical kind due to a lack of sleep or after an effort, or of a psychological kind as the result of a long- lasting concentration.
- blood circulation:
Persons with a bad blood circulation or a low blood pressure will be supercooled more quickly as the reactions and effects of the cold on the human body are strengthened. The body needs to remove blood from the limbs at an earlier stage to send more blood to the brain.
- physical condition:
Persons with a good physical condition have a better blood circulation (turn to the above point), sweat less quickly (turn to fluid), are not so easily tired and are usually more stable from a psychological point of view. Yet, persons who are too slim suffer more kinds of heat loss.
Chapter 3. EFFECTS:
(effects of the cold and the loss of heat on the body)
“…fingers, nose and toes are black, we are getting weaker and the end cannot be far, for God’s sake look after our people.” (1912 Robert F. Scott, polar explorer, last words found in his logbook on his frozen body.)
1)SUPERCOOLING:
- The inner body temperature is falling. This can happen and mostly happens at positive temperatures (> O °C). The victim does not recognise the symptoms and does not think clearly enough to take the appropriate measures. Supercooling possibly results in injuries or death.
Conditions that accelerate supercooling:
- bad physical condition
- insufficient food and drinks
- too slim a build
- poor protection against wind, snow and rain
- getting wet
- tiredness
Symptoms:
- cannot think clearly anymore
- shivering
- slow reactions, dizziness, tiredness
- speaking thickly
- loss of memory
- unreasonable and bad assessment
- hallucinating
- the skin turns blue
- slowing down of heartbeat and breathing
Care:
- change clothing
- protect against wind and rain
- insulation of the ground
- heat up by movement (if possible)
- in a sleeping bag that was heated in advance
- warm food and drinks with a high energy level
- use external heat (chemical body heaters or body heat of other persons)
- victim in a hot bath of 40 °C (44 °C = maximum temperature)
2) DEHYDRATION:
- The body looses too much fluid. The victim does no longer have the ability to think clearly and consequently does not have the right reactions and reflexes anymore. The symptoms will show that this strongly influences the “cold”.
Conditions which accelerate dehydration:
- not enough drinking (at least 2.5L a day)
- ingesting caffeine
Symptoms:
1 - 5 % too low:
- increased pulse rate
- loss of appetite
- dark urine or obstruction of the intestines
- quickly irritated and tired
- thirsty
6 - 10 % too low:
- headache
- dizziness
- heavy breathing
- tingly feeling
- the victim has difficulty walking
- blue or grey skin colour
11 - 20 % too low:
- swollen tongue
- the victim has difficulty swallowing
- partially sighted and deafness
- insensible skin
- painful urinating
- unconsciousness and possibly death as a consequence
Care:
For less serious cases – drinking and keeping the body warm
More serious cases require professional medical care
3) FREEZING:
The tissue is damaged by actual freezing of the skin and of the underlying tissue. Recovery is slow, serious freezing may result in gangrene. Once a person has fallen victim to freezing, this person will more easily be subject to suffer from it again.
Conditions that accelerate freezing:
- prolonged exposition to temperatures below freezing point
- short exposition to temperatures below - 35 °C
- exposed parts of the body
- clothing that is too tight
- tiredness, poor diet, insufficient drinking and a bad physical condition
- limbs that have been frozen before
Symptoms:
1st degree:
- redness of the skin, pain, irritating or tingling feeling
- the pain disappears and the skin turns white
- the skin becomes stiff on top and soft underneath
- in case of heating up, one may feel an itching pain, the skin may peel and the spot may feel cold for some time
2nd degree:
- no pain, the skin may feel dead
- stiffness, hard to move the part of the body concerned
- skin and tissue underneath feel stiff
- in case of heating up, one may feel pain, have large blisters and sweat a lot during a period of 3 up to 20 days
- the black or colourless skin falls off
3rd degree:
- the full thickness of the skin shows the above- mentioned symptoms
- in case of heating up, one may feel pain up to 5 weeks
4th degree:
- skin and bones are frozen
- swelling and sweating of the skin
- gangrene may develop, amputation will be necessary
Care:
- heat up the part of the body with cold water or with other parts of the body
- move the part of the body
- check possible signs of dehydration
4) MATERIAL:
Both the human being and the material suffer from the cold.
Material that is tender in normal conditions will become hard and breakable from a certain temperature onward: for instance, plastic bags may disintegrate like burnt paper, toothpaste and other creams become as hard as stone and thus useless.
In the same manner, the screens of cellular phones, GPS or computers will break down.
Liquids become thicker, even oil may become useless.
The influence on batteries is also very important: batteries of radios and measuring instruments will appear to be empty in no time.
Food becomes inedible and measuring instruments or other plastic material may break even without being treated roughly.
Everything depends on how “cold” (temperature influenced by the different conditions) it gets.
As a consequence, one can avoid many problems by carrying the material on one’s body beneath a certain number of layers of clothing or by putting them in one’s sleeping bag.
Chapter 4. PROTECTIVE MATERIALS:
(Materials that screen the body from the “cold”)
“We were so hot in our sleeping bags made of reindeer skin that we turned them inside out, with the hairs on the outside, which helped” (1911 Roald Amundsen, polar explorer)
1) POLYPROPYLENE:
- removes the perspiration that is even produced when the body does not move, from the skin to the surface of the material. The material is light, cheap and its contact with the skin is pleasant. There is only one disadvantage: the material does not conserve the skin temperature.
2) CAPILENE:
- This synthetic material is a tissue made of hollow fibres with a “hydrophobic” (water- repellent) inside that repels the perspiration towards the surface of the material. There, a “hydrophilic” (water absorbing) outside absorbs the perspiration and uses the body heat to have the fluid evaporated. The material is produced in at least 4 different thicknesses.
3) CHYNCHILLA FLEECE:
- This material can be made of recycled plastic bottles, is a good insulator and is water- repellent and quick- drying. It is comparable to POLYESTER. It is made in various weights and thicknesses, which offer each a more or less high degree of insulation. Some varieties have been brought on the market, some of which are improvements of the basic product.
4) DOWN:
- Down products and clothing are known as well- insulating products as the little feathers have hollow fibres. Down is also lighter than most of the synthetic materials and therefore practical for hiking tours. Yet, down is hydrophilic and looses its insulating value when it becomes damp. That is why synthetic materials (like Primaloft, Polargard or Hollofil) are preferred to down.
5) VAETREX:
- Vaetrex is made of Polyurethane foam, one of the best insulating materials on the market. Even when this material is drenched, it continues to be a good insulator. Expeditions to the North Pole and the South Pole almost only use this material. Vaetrex can be bought in different thicknesses. In clothing (also boots, hats and sleeping bags) made of this product, one can survive at temperatures up to – 60 °C or survive without symptoms of freezing after having fallen through the ice. Vaetrex is a light and water- repellent material.
6) NYLON and POLYESTER:
- According to the degree of tightness of the fabric, these materials range from wind- repellent to windproof – water- repellent to waterproof. This means that in the first case they function properly as an outside layer in dry conditions (cold or warm). In the second case, they can be used at extremely cold temperatures (meaning dry atmospheric conditions) or as windbreaker for dry days. In the last case, they are only useful to keep a backpack dry in the rain as they retain the perspiration within the clothing.
7) GORE- TEX:
- is a material made of a laminate that is adjacent to a polyester or nylon layer and that is composed of microscopically small pores, which are too small to let through liquid water yet big enough to let through water vapour. This quality is known as “breathing” and makes the material extremely suitable as clothing, in particular when one makes great efforts or needs to remove perspiration for other reasons. However, this clothing is no longer appropriate at temperatures below – 5 °C as the water vapour of the perspiration then freezes in the small pores. As a consequence, the clothing is no longer “breathing” yet completely waterproof, which is very unfavourable in those conditions.
!Do not forget that Gore- Tex cannot function with wrong clothing underneath it (never wear an ordinary cotton T- shirt on the skin under Gore- Tex)!
8) GORE- WINDSTOPPER and VERSATECH:
- These materials have a very fine fabric and are therefore water- repellent. Because of the density of the fabric, they are windproof without being waterproof. That is why those materials are extremely suitable for a dry climate (especially when it is very cold). They keep the wind out of the clothing, which would otherwise drive away the body heat very quickly.
DID YOU KNOW THAT: the current high- tech materials can still not compete with the skins of reindeer and caribou. The fact is, the hairs on these skins are hollow and air is retained within them. They insulate so well that to this very day the Royal Canadian Mounted police in the Northwest Territories leave their men the choice between: the cold uniform offered by default or a handmade uniform made by an Inuit of caribou skin.
Chapter 5. ATTITUDE:
(preventive measures with respect to the cold)
“each day, we were eating 7,000 fatladen calories, yet two members of the team had to be evacuated” (1986 Will Steger, polar adventurer)
1) Clothing: - One should wear clothing in layers for a better insulation. The different materials can be combined in the right way and the number of layers can be adapted to the conditions. The three- layer system is well- known yet sometimes misunderstood. It is composed of a bottom layer, which removes perspiration from the body, an intermediate layer that insulates and an upper layer to protect against wind and possibly rain. However, each layer can be composed of several parts with the same functioning. This means that a complete system may be composed of:
- bottom layer: - capylene underpants and singlet
- Polarmax underclothing, trousers and sweater
- intermediate layer: - Microfleece underclothing, trousers and sweater
- fleece Polartec 100 trousers and sweater
- fleece Polartec 300 trousers and sweater
- upper layer: - Gore- Windstopper layer (if desired incorporated in the fleece 300)
- non- waterproof Nylon waistcoat and trousers
- Gore- Tex waistcoat and trousers
The same layers for head, hands and feet.
This three- layer system, which in fact is composed of 8 parts, can be used for both a hiking tour in summer and a night on the polar ice.
2) Negative attitude:
- Do not wear heavy clothing.
- Do not wear tight clothing.
- Do not wear cotton or woollen clothing on the skin.
- Never wear waterproof/breathing clothing (like Gore- tex) at temperatures below – 3 °C.
- Do not spill alcohol, petrol or other liquids with a low freezing temperature.
- Try not to dry wet shoes by keeping them on in the car, it will only make your feet cool off.
- Do not touch cold objects with your bare hands.
3) Positive attitude:
- Keep your clothing dry and clean, dirty clothes will no longer insulate and are no longer pervious to vapour.
- Always protect your head, even when it does not feel cold.
- Take in more water by drinking a lot.
- Do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, coffee or coke.
- Take in more calories, in particular carbohydrates and fats.
- Always ventilate well your clothing.
Chapter 6. CONCLUSION:
(preventive measures)
“Physical fitness was as important as mental fitness” (1914, Ernest Shackleton, polar explorer)
1) RESULT:
- It is important to use the right clothing and protective materials according to the atmospheric conditions.
- The physical and psychological condition of the person is also very important, both a good physical and mental health are essential.
- A wrong personal attitude towards the elements may also have disastrous effects. Therefore, the right actions should be undertaken before it is too late: for instance, eating and drinking the right food and drinks in time.
- An experienced group leader should keep an eye on his group and look for signs of tiredness, dehydration and supercooling to be able to take the right decisions. Remember that the first consequence of supercooling and dehydration is the loss of the capability of taking the right decisions and reacting in a rational manner.
Chapter 7. STUDY SOURCES:
“winter is often described as a hostile, deadly force. But with the right equipment and right attitude I have learned to love winter more than summer” (Bart Van Linden, winter adventure guide 1998)
TITLE AUTHOR
- A SNOW WALKER’S COMPANION
(winter trail skills from the far north) Garrett and Alexandra Conover
- SURVIVAL
(the SAS manual) John Wiseman
- SNOWSHOEING
(a trailside guide) Larry Olmsted
- UITRUSTING EN MATERIALEN[1]
(manual for outdoor sports) Ron Wagter
- DE VEROVERING VAN DE ZUIDPOOL[2] Roald Amundsen
- WINTER ADVENTURE
(a complete guide to winter sports) Peter Stark and Steven M. Krauzer
- DOG DRIVER
(a guide for the serious musher) Mikki and Julie Collins
- SNOWSHOEING
(the mountaineers 3rd edition) Gene Prater
- ADVANCED BACKPACKING
(a trailside guide) Karen Berger
[1] Equipment and materials
[2] The conquest of the South Pole
