In the months before Operation Desert Storm, the Marine Corps purchased over 60,000 British Mark IV lightweight chemical overgarments. They hoped to reduce reliance on the OG84 model, which caused more rapid body heat buildup in warm weather. Overall, they stressed the need to plan, procure, and realistically train for operations in a Chemical Warfare environment. They also suggested ways to improve the use of MOPP in a desert theater. There is a downside to wearing rubber gloves and boots in hot weather.
Feet also become soft and can develop a variety of problems like trench foot.
The Division recommended not wearing rubber gloves and boots in desert warfare unless direct exposure to liquid mustard agent is imminent. If troops must wear the gloves and boots, they recommended providing relief in uncontaminated areas before softening of the extremities becomes a problem. If soldiers do not shave, they cannot get a good seal on their protective masks. The 24 th Division recommended making it a command policy that every male soldier shave every day, and that battery-powered electric shavers be provided to reduce water requirements. Borrowing from non-deploying units in other theaters helped provide replacement items.