Permeation of Ethylene Oxide Through Protective Clothing Materials for Chemical Emergency Response. Part II: Follow on Work

Abstract

An earlier study was conducted to evaluate ethylene oxide permeation through a number of protective clothing materials used to construct totally encapsulating suits used by emergency responders. In these tests, material samples were exposed to ethylene oxide as a gas. Since ethylene oxide may also be encountered as a liquid, particularly in emergency response, additional permeation testing was carried out with ethylene oxide in the form of a liquid splash against those materials that demonstrated breakthrough times of 1 hour or greater to ethylene oxide vapor. Other materials were added to the testing to represent additional protective clothing materials under consideration. Suit seam permeation resistance was also investigated. The combination of previous data with the test results from this study provides a comprehensive examination of protective clothing performance against ethylene oxide, indicating encapsulating suit ensemble materials with permeation breakthrough times over 60 minutes. This information is useful in the selection of protective apparel for use by emergency response teams which mitigate accidental releases of the chemical, and chemical plant workers who must periodically work in areas where there is a potential for high ethylene oxide exposures. This study also illustrates the importance of considering all parts of the protective clothing ensemble when evaluating materials for use in emergency response situations.