ABSTRACT

The Environmental Medicine Unit (EMU) at the Institute of Naval Medicine has been involved in human experimentation for some 20 years, undertaking trials and studies to assess the performance of subjects over a wide range of climatic and environmental conditions to which military personnel may be exposed. Climatic studies range from cold immersion through cold wet to hot and assessments range from maximum physical performance to sustained psychological performance. Environmental factors may include work in noisy environments and exposure to low levels of potentially toxic gases such as can be found in polluted or contaminated environments.