Soldier Hygiene Issues and Use of Antimicrobial Textiles in the Military

Antimicrobial treatments are being incorporated into various military items, including T-shirts, socks, and sleeping bag liners, to address a variety of soldier hygiene issues such as odor, athlete's foot, and skin irritation. For any medical or hygiene issue, it is not known what performance constitutes an effective treatment, or if existing treatments are providing a benefit and positive return on investment. The effect of prolonged wear of treated textiles on the skin has not been examined. While treatments provide perceived benefits, existing methods to assess efficacy in military-relevant environments are lacking. Current Army efforts are underway to define the magnitude of soldier hygiene issues, determine performance for an effective treatment, and investigate test methods to acquire meaningful data.