Cotton shirt weight print cloth is Carboxymethylated using a pad-roll technology. Chemical accessibility is characterized by iodine sorption capacity and water retention; the values obtained for the modified cotton are significantly higher than those of the untreated and mercerized control samples. Layered clothing systems are made from combinations of treated and control fabrics, and pesticide penetration and retention are studied using radiolabeled methyl parathion. When the outer layer of the clothing system is Carboxymethylated, 30 to 45% more pesticide is trapped by that layer than when the outer layer is the untreated or the mercerized control fabric. Carboxymethylation reduces residual pesticide on the cotton fabric after laundering to less than half that observed for the control fabrics. Contamination of other clothes by redeposition during laundering is similar for the treated and untreated fabrics. The results of this study indicate that Carboxymethylated fabrics may offer some protective advantages in reusable work clothing for pesticide handlers.
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