Stock material or miscellaneous articles – Structurally defined web or sheet – Physical dimension specified
Patent
1985-10-04
1991-10-22
Teskin, Fred
Stock material or miscellaneous articles
Structurally defined web or sheet
Physical dimension specified
428333, 428516, 2159, 2167, B32B 2708
Patent
active
050594770
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to protective garments or clothings for the protection against the influence of chemicals.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a great need for protective garments with a low permeability (i.e. a long breakthrough time and a low permeation rate) for certain chemical compounds or mixtures of compounds. The polymer membranes used in protective garments (e.g. gloves, coverall suits, hoods, boots, etc.) for use in a work environment or in the home must protect against chemical compounds or mixtures thereof which are hazardous to the health, such as solvents, paints, varnishes, glues, cleaning agents, degreasing agents, drilling fluids, or epoxy materials. Regarding protective clothing against hazardous chemicals in the work environment or the home, the main concern has previously been to obtain chemical resistance of the clothing, i.e. non-degradability. During the latest years strong concern about the permeability of protective clothing against chemicals has developed. Permeation studies have surprisingly shown that the breakthrough time is often less than half an hour, sometimes only a few minutes. The studies have also shown that the breakthrough time and the permeation rate is to a great extent dependent on the combination of the hazardous substances and the materials for protective clothing. In view of the foregoing, it is quite obvious that a great need exists for protective garments featuring polymer membranes without the aforementioned disadvantage. Unfortunately, no other method of selecting suitable combinations than the method of trial and error has been proposed. Epoxy materials and many solvents are particularly important in this context due to their toxic effects and allergenic properties on mammalian skin, in particular human skin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improved protective garments for protection against chemicals, in particular epoxy materials, and to a rational method of selecting polymer membranes with optimal permeation resistance against hazardous chemicals.
In connection with the research which led to the present invention the applicant has found that commonly used membrane materials (such as polyethylene, various rubbers, neoprene, silicone rubbers, etc.) have insufficient barrier properties with respect to e.g. epoxy materials, in that they have breakthrough times of an hour or less. Some of these membrane materials have even been suggested or recommended as materials for proctective garments by manufacturers of epoxy. Applicant has further found that the three-dimensional solubility parameter system pioneered and described by C. M. Hansen (cf. ref. 1, 2, 3 and 4) may suitably be used as a guide for the rational selection of suitable barrier membrane materials for protection garments.
The three solubility parameters termed .delta..sub.H, .delta..sub.p and .delta..sub.D, measured in (cal/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2, quantify the molecular cohesive forces (the hydrogen bonding, polar and dispersion forces) in a given compound or mixture of compounds. The so far commonly used membrane materials for protective garments have .delta..sub.H - and .delta..sub.p -values of about 3 or less, and .delta..sub.D -values of about 9. In view of the low .delta..sub.H - and .delta..sub.p -values, these membrane materials are designated as low-energy type polymers because of the relatively low level of intermolecular cohesive forces. These solubility parameter values are fairly close to the solubility parameter values occupied by a major part of the commonly used solvents and epoxy materials.
It has now been found that polymer materials of the high-energy type, i.e. with solubility parameters considerably different from those so far commonly used, exhibit superior properties with regard to being impermeable to chemical compounds, e.g. epoxy materials.
The invention relates to a protective garment comprising a membrane comprising a substantially water insoluble polymer material having a solubility parameter set (.delta..s
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