Marines Ban Polyester Clothing In Iraq

[Warrior-Mentor]

Something worth thinking about...

Marine Corps News | Stephen Holt | April 10, 2006
Camp Taqaddum, Iraq - Under direction of Marine Corps commanders in Iraq, wearing synthetic athletic clothing containing polyester and nylon has been prohibited while conducting operations off of forward operating bases and camps.

The ban on popular clothing from companies like Under Armour, CoolMax and Nike comes in the wake of concerns that a substantial burn risk is associated with wearing clothing made with these synthetic materials.

When exposed to extreme heat and flames, clothing containing some synthetic materials like polyester will melt and can fuse to the skin. This essentially creates a second skin and can lead to horrific, disfiguring burns, said Navy Capt. Lynn E. Welling, the 1st Marine Logistics Group head surgeon.

Whether on foot patrol or conducting a supply convoy while riding in an armored truck, everyone is at risk to such injuries while outside the wire.

“Burns can kill you and they’re horribly disfiguring. If you’re throwing (a melted synthetic material) on top of a burn, basically you have a bad burn with a bunch of plastic melting into your skin and that’s not how you want to go home to your family,” said Welling.

According to Tension Technology International, a company that specializes in synthetic fibers, most man made fabrics, such as nylon, acrylic or polyester will melt when ignited and produce a hot, sticky, melted substance causing extremely severe burns.

For these reasons, Marines have been limited to wearing clothing made with these materials only while on the relatively safe forward operating bases and camps where encounters with fires and explosions are relatively low.

The popularity of these products has risen in the past few years and has started being sold at military clothing stores. Some companies have come out with product lines specifically catering to military needs. This makes polyester clothing readily available to servicemembers, said Welling.

The high performance fabrics work by pulling perspiration away from the body to the outside of the garment instead of absorbing moisture like most cotton clothing.

The Under Armour company, a favorite among many servicemembers here, advertises that the fabric used to make their garments will wick perspiration from the skin to the outer layer of the clothing allowing the person wearing it to remain cool and dry in any condition or climate.

While these qualities have been a main reason for Marines to stock up on these items, the melting side effect can be a fatal drawback, said Welling.
This point was driven home recently at a military medical facility located at Camp Ramadi, a U.S. military base on the outskirts of the city of Ramadi, arguably one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq.

“We had a Marine with significant burn injuries covering around 70 percent of his body,” said Cmdr. Joseph F. Rappold, the officer in charge of the medical unit at the base.

The Marine was injured when the armored vehicle he was riding in struck an improvised explosive device, or IED, causing his polyester shirt to melt to his skin. Even though he was wearing his protective vest Navy doctors still had to cut the melted undergarment from his torso.

His injuries would not have been as severe had he not been wearing a polyester shirt, said Rappold.

Burns have become a common injury in Iraq as the enemy continues to employ IED’s and roadside bombs.

Currently, such hidden explosives are the number one killer of servicemembers in Iraq, said Welling.

For years servicemembers with jobs that put then at a high risk of flame exposure, such as pilots and explosive ordnance disposal personnel, were kept from wearing polyester materials because of the extra burn threat. Now, with so many encounters with IED explosions, the Marines are extending this ban to everyone going “outside the wire.”

As the summer months in Iraq get closer, temperatures during some days are expected hover around 130 degrees Fahrenheit. With blistering temperatures like these, many will be wearing the moisture wicking, quick drying clothing in an attempt to “beat the heat” and stay cool.

“I understand it gets to be 150 degrees (Fahrenheit) in a turret during the summer time. My goal is not to make it more uncomfortable or harder on the servicemembers. My job is to make sure that when they hit an IED and are engulfed in flames, they have the best protection possible and the least risk of something (going wrong) that could have been prevented,” said Welling.

A concern among commanders is that servicemembers will down play the problem of wearing wicking materials in combat settings because they think their body armor or uniforms will protect them.

The camouflage utility uniforms are designed to turn to ash and blow away after the material is burned, but the burn hazard is still present, said Welling, who recommends wearing 100% cotton clothing while on missions.

So far, Marines have been responding well to the new regulations.

“The policy is good because it’s designed for safety and is about keeping Marines in the fight,” said Cpl. Jason Lichtefeld, a military policeman with the 1st MLG, who plans to make sure his Marines comply with the new rules.

Even Marines who never venture off their base should be aware of the risks associated with wearing the wicking fabrics.

Recently, there was a case where a Marine’s high performance undershirt started smoking when he was shocked by an electrical current. Fortunately, it didn’t catch on fire or melt, but the potential was there, said Welling.

When working in a low risk environment where exposure to flames or intense heat is minimal the high performance apparel can be an optimal option for staying cool in the Iraq heat.

“We’ve got a great piece of gear, but when you put it in the wrong environment it could cause more problems than its worth,” said Welling.

The directive is straight forward and simple.

“The goal is not to bubble wrap the warrior going outside the gate, the idea is to minimize the (hazards) we have control over,” said Welling.
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion.

[Abu Jack]

The Britsl learned the same lesson in the Falklands.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Abu Jack

The Britsl learned the same lesson in the Falklands.

Didn't the Americans learn the same leason in VN? Nomex flight suits? Didn't Nomex take just a little longer to melt?

On the serious side. It is something to think about. Our medivac capabilities are gitting better and faster all the time. WIAs who would have died not too long ago are making it through the EVAC system. A bunch of our casualties are wounded in IED attacks. Much more flash/burn than with regular combat, except for aircrew.

I knew I liked my 5 button wool sweater for a reason. Wool to stop water loss, synthetic to feel comfortable. There is a difference.

[uboat509]

This conversation has been traveling around some of the Army discussion boards that I have been to for some time. As far as I know it has already banned for aviation and armor crews but there is one hole in the logic. Unless I am mistaken a lot of our snivel gear is made of synthetic materials. Are they also going to ban polypro, field jacket liners and spears also? Furthermore, a friend of mine that I ran into in ANCOC told me that most of the guys in his unit will not wear ACUs down range because there is a video going around the unit that shows a test that members of the unit performed on some ACUs. Apparently ACUs catch fire much easier than BDUs and burn alarmingly fast. I haven't seen this video myself but I trust this guys oppinion. I am not trying to be a smart ass here but I have seen too many knee jerk reactions during my time in the military that are simply not needed.

SFC W

[groundup]

I thought the same thing when I first started wearing underarmour. I don't like it anymore because it makes me itchy. Then you have to look at all of the other stuff that they give you or you can wear - gortex (parka, pants), nylon sock liners, cordura, baclava (nylon, not nomex), and the list goes on. They issue all of that crap, nobody is getting burned from it. People would rather be comfortable with the .001% chance that they are going to have some burns if they get caught in a fire. ACU's and BDU's are supposed to be fire retardant. Kevlar vests should be able to stop a flash of fire. You wear this shirt under everything else, its not like you are wearing it on top.

[Jack Moroney (RIP)]

We wore nomex, lived in nomex, made our carry gear out of nomex, and developed all sorts of interesting stuff out of nomex-in every color, as long as it was black

We still used poly-pro and other nylon items, but not in environments where we had reasonable expectations of exposure to fire as a result of planned or anticipated operations.

Like many other things that have surfaced during this recent unpleasantry over the past few years, there have been very few lessons learned and a whole bunch of mistakes revisited.

[TFM]

Oyy My friggin ACUs are 50% polyester, and the issue undershirts are 100% polyester. I even have a bunch draws made of all this high tech moister wicking crap. I spent a good deal of money on extra stuff too. Oh well. If they ban it, I'll live. It just sucks cause all that stuff is so costly, and some of us have spent more on top of what the Army issued.

[groundup]

TFM: Marines banned it. The Army loves it.

[Razor]

Some of you have obviously never visited a burn ward before. COL M hit it square, as usual--assess the environment, and make your decisions. It seems with IEDs the flash and flame threat is much higher for most troops than is often encountered.

[Chris]

Out of my lane, turning back now but; heat and sweat are temporary, 3rd degree burns are forever.

[TFM]

Originally Posted by Chris

Out of my lane, turning back now but; heat and sweat are temporary, 3rd degree burns are forever.

Indeed

[Monsoon65]

As a flyer, we aren't allowed anything like polypro, nylon, etc while we fly. We are suppose to wear cotton underwear, leather boots and the nomex flightsuit.

I know that some people argue the point about wearing this, but I'd rather not take my chances with fire.

We use to have a guy in our section that was a former armor troop in Vietnam. His Sheridan caught fire one night in a pretty bad fight and he was burned real bad on his back and legs.

He posed this question to us when we were discussing nomex: "What's worse, burning to death, or ALMOST burning to death?"

[MtnGoat]

Originally Posted by Chris

Out of my lane, turning back now but; heat and sweat are temporary, 3rd degree burns are forever.

Very well said Chris. Nice find WM!!

I know I would preach the wear of Cool Max, Under Armor, ETC while conducting OPS while teaching my UXO Classes on the Committee. All Natural is the way to go. If a nice IED don't get you, the heat from it will.

Great for training or Garrison, but not OPS. My .02

Watch the Army will suit the USMC suit within a year or so. We always seem too.

[x SF med]

This is really odd - at Devens we actually tested most of the polypro/goretex just because we were so close to Natick... I know that one spark from a non-tactical fire would go right through the polypro. We were required to wear it on most occasions, and write reports on how it fared in field use. Ain't it great to have been a crash test dummy? Although when sailing in cold wet weather, underarmor and goretex are my best friends now - but i'm not expecting an IED or WP round on LISound or the Hudson, well, not in the immediate future.

[12B4S]

All good, detailed information. I realize all the new high tech deasigner stuff is sought after. ALL marketing. When I was in, we just went with what was issued. When I got out in late '71, I found some of this new polypropelene stuff and bought some. Yup, it was good, had great 'wicking' properties. One night, think it was after a few beers, I cut a bit off the bottom of a T-shirt. I had only used it as a civilian, X country skiing. That strip I cut off and not sure why I did that......... hell it was still new I put a lighter too. It fused/melted just like shroud line (para cord/550 cord.... to put into the new terms)

Forget the desinger type stuff on the market if you are somewhere..... where intense heat and blasts are a consideration. Y'all or those wearing this stuuf in a combat zone, can wear it when you home and back on the block......

100% cotton or wool or whatever...... In extreme temps...... You will be just plain miserable........ deal with it. It'll grow on ya.