Pesticide Spray Penetration and Thermal Comfort of Protective Apparel for Pesticide Applicators

摘要

The use of protective apparel to serve as a barrier from dermal exposure is considered vital for providing some measure of protection for those who work with and around pesticides. The research is aimed at ultimately providing recommendations for types of protective apparel for pesticide application for dermal exposure protection and thermal comfort. A laboratory spray system was developed and validated that delivers a controlled amount of pesticide solution to fabric samples for pesticide penetration evaluation. Woven fabrics of varying thickness and weight were evaluated. When thickness remained the same, pesticide spray penetration could be attributed to weight. As fabric weight increased, pesticide penetration decreased. Wearing clothing with fabric weight below 250 g/sq m (7.37 oz/sq yd) is not recommended. Laboratory evaluation of nonwoven fabrics found alternatives to the most commonly used nonwoven fabric (Tyvek), all providing equally good protection. A screening of fabrics for thermal comfort determined that plain weave, light weight, woven fabrics were the most comfortable. Of the nonwoven fabrics evaluated, the combination of polyester and wood pulp showed the best promise as comfortable protective apparel.