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Chemical Protective Clothing

Chemical protective clothing should not be considered as a replacement for engineering control methods. However, there are often few alternatives available, or an emergency (e.g., a spill) requires their use. Since the clothing is the last line of defense for protecting the skin, care must be taken to ensure it provides the protection expected.

The phrase commonly found on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) "Wear impervious (or impermeable) gloves" has very limited value. It is technically inaccurate. No glove material will remain impervious to a specific chemical forever. No one glove material is resistant to all chemicals. Some chemicals will travel through or permeate the glove in a few seconds, while other chemicals may take days or weeks.

Information specifying the best type of chemical protective material is what should be on the MSDS (e.g., neoprene, butyl rubber). If this information is missing, contact the supplier or manufacturer of the product. Manufacturers of chemical protective gloves and clothing may also assist their customers in making the appropriate choices.
Development of chemical protective clothing.
In today’s world, soldiers in war field and workers in different industries are exposed to different chemicals that are hazardous in nature causing health problems many leading to death. Occupational safety and health professionals consider Chemical Protective Clothing (CPC) as a last line of defense for protecting the human from chemical and physical hazards. Chemical protective clothing used today is made of non-permeable textile fabrics. The protection of chemicals is achieved by blocking the penetration and permeation of them through the fabrics in the clothing. This is an effective method for providing sufficient protection to professionals from contact of toxic chemicals. However, the total blockage of the penetration and the permeation also affects transport of heat and moisture generated by a wearer of the clothing, resulting in heat stress and low work efficiency. A possible solution to such a problem is to produce non-permeable and breathable protective clothing. The chemical protective clothing meets the protective clothing requirement without inhibiting the human activities. The major application of protective clothing is for protecting the soldiers from the war field hazards. One such important hazard is chemical hazard which affects the human based on its characteristics and mode of entry. To overcome this problem we normally use chemical protective clothing and their property depends on the end use.

Introduction

A number of countries around the world have the capability to use chemical weapons. In fact, within the past decade, several events have been well documented where chemical weapons were used in armed conflict, most notably during the Iran-Iraq War. The major application of protective clothing is for protecting the soldiers from the war field hazards. One such important hazard is chemical hazard which affects the human based on its characteristics and mode of entry. To overcome this problem we normally use chemical protective clothing and their property depends on the end use.

The routes of chemical entry into the human body are oral, respiratory, and dermal. Of these three main routes, the dermal exposure is considered the primary mechanism of chemical entry through human body. While considering the entry of chemical through respiration to prevent this it is essential to consider the respiratory mask as an essential part of chemical protective clothing. It has been reported that 90% of all occupational allergic contact dermatitis was found on the back of the hands and the fore arms. However contact dermatitis among homemakers occurred in almost 50% of the cases on the palms. Where as 15% of the time it affected the back of hands and fingers. The location on body affected by occupational contact is shown in the figure (Refer Fig 1.1). This makes clear that most of workers are affected by chemicals used in industries and work areas.