Student Dessi Zharieva, right, prepares Evan Gilbert for a test in Stephen Cheung's laboratory.
Willing participants spent 24 hours in frigid temperatures this week as part of a Brock University study that has implications on anyone trapped in the cold.
Stephen Cheung, professor of Physical Education and Kinesiology and Canada Research Chair in Environmental Ergonomics, put two subjects in his lab’s three metre-by-three-metre environmental chamber in 7.5 C to examine the physiological and cognitive impacts of being in the prolonged cold.
Cheung’s team is looking at how the cold impacts heat balance, neuromuscular function, spatial awareness and the navigational abilities of people awaiting rescue. An incident on the weekend where the Clipper Adventurer cruise ship with 128 passengers was stranded on an unchartered rock in Canada’s Arctic for three days illustrates the need for the work, Cheung said.
“That is exactly the scenario we’re trying to prepare for,” he said.
This week was the first of four testing periods Cheung will complete this month. The subjects did a series of physical and mental tests before entering the cold chamber. Once inside, tests were done every six hours over a 24-hour period. The total testing time is 36 hours.
The study includes determining the amount of shivering and core temperature responses, along with which type of fuel the body burns most in prolonged cold, such as carbohydrates, fats or proteins. This will help determine which food is most useful to drop to people awaiting rescue, he said. Testing cognitive function helps understand how well the subjects are able to navigate and recognize landmarks after hours in the cold.
The majority of the physical tests revolved around the subject’s arm and hand muscle functions, as those tend to be key, he said.
“In those situations, it’s not your legs that determine if you live or die,” he said. “It’s going to be your arms that you’ll use to haul yourself to dry land, or maneuver a life raft, or zip yourself into protective gear.”
Evan Gilbert, a Business student at Memorial University and a member of the Naval Reserve in St. John’s, NL, was happy to come to Ontario to be a test subject. He understands the benefits of the study.
“In Newfoundland, we deal with hypothermia all the time,” he said. “Even in the summer, the water could be only about 5 degrees.”
Cheung’s study is funded by Transport Canada through the National Search and Rescue Secretariat.
Link:
• Stephen Cheung faculty page
