PESTICIDE PENETRATION AND COMFORT PROPERTIES OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING FABRICS (AEROSOL SPRAY, MALATHION, NONWOVEN-DISPOSABLE)

This study tested woven and nonwoven fabrics, with and without finishes, as protective barriers to aerosol spray for protective clothing. The research was divided into three parts: (1) the determination of the physical properties; density, air permeability, and water vapor permeability with their relevance to human comfort; (2) the determination of aerosol dye penetration, and (3) the verification of the dye penetration test as a predictor of pesticide penetration.;The aerosol spray penetration test developed for this research used methylene blue dye as a tracer to indicate penetration. Three spray emulsions commonly used for pesticide application were tested with the dye tracer: (1) water, (2) water/surfactant 48:1, and (3) cottonseed oil/surfactant 4:1.;The results of the dye penetration test correlated with the Malathion penetration test indicating that the dye penetration test can be used to estimate pesticide penetration. The results of the aerosol spray test indicated that fluorocarbon barrier finishes prevented aerosol spray penetration. The woven fabrics tested failed to meet the criterion of being resistant to oil-based spray penetration. The finished spun-lace nonwoven fabrics ranked highest in terms of air and water vapor permeability and air permeability and were resistant to aerosol penetration by both water-base and oil-base spray emulsions.;Seven nonwoven and four woven fabrics were examined for resistance to aerosol spray penetration. Of particular interest were the nonwoven substrates which resist penetration by oils and liquids but allow water vapor transmission. Significant differences in density, air permeability, and water vapor permeability were noted among and between the woven and nonwoven groups of fabrics.