Over the years there have been advancements in technologies to assist in the reduction of heat stress, heat stroke and heat-related injuries. The most basic and most widely used form of cooled personal protective equipment (PPE) is vests that use phase change material (PCM) for thermal energy storage. While this type of cooling has proven to be effective in certain uses, how do the claims about the effectiveness, safety and cooling times compare to the facts?
Claims of effectiveness and cooling time of PCM vary wildly.