The permeation resistance of a fabric is classified according to EN 14325 into 6 level of performance (classes) based on the time which is required to reach a normalized breakthrough time of 1.0 min (BT0.1) when tested according to EN 374-3 or ISO 6529. Class 6 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 480 minutes. Class 5 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 240 minutes. Class 4 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 120 minutes. Class 3 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 60 minutes. Class 2 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 30 minutes. Class 1 is reached when the BT 1.0 is larger than 10 minutes. This classification can simplify the Use of Permeation data.

A Minimum Detection Permeation Rate (MDPR) is the lowest measurable rate for a measurement system, The MDPR can vary depending on the sensivity of the analytical device for a given test chemical.

Permeation measurements acc. to EN ISO 6529 (method A and B) can be reported at a normalized permeation rate at 0.1 min and/or 1.0 min. Measurements are conducted at 23. Permeation measurements acc. to ASTM F-739 are reported at a normalized permeation rate at 0.1 min. Measurements are conducted at 27.This norm is mainly used in the USA. Permeation measurements acc. to EN 374-3 are reported at a normalized permeation rate at 1.0 min. Measurement is conducted at 23. This norm is mainly used in the glove industry. EN 369 has been supersedes by EN ISO 6529:2001. Measurement which have been conducted to these norms are comparable due the use of normalized breakthrough detection times.

Normalised breakthrough detection time is the elapsed time between the initial contact of the chemical with the outside surface of the fabric and the time at which the chemical is detected at the inside surface of the fabric at a certain permeation rate. The most common normalized detection rates are 0.1 min (BT0.1) and 1.0 min (BT1.0). A normalized detection rate of 0.1 min is used for measurements according to EN ISO 6529 or ASTM F739. A normalized detection rate of 1.0 min is used for measurements according to ISO 6529, EN 369 or EN 374-3. A normalised breakthrough time of > 480 minutes means that the average permeation rate has never reached the defined rate (0.1 min or 1.0 min) according to the referred norm. Actual breakthrough time is the time elapsed between initial contact of the chemical with the outside surface of the fabric and the detection of the chemical at the inside surface by the analytical device (minimum detection permeation rate, MDPR). An actual breakthrough time of > 480 minutes does not mean breakthrough has not occurred. It means that permeation was not detected after an observation of eight hours. Permeation may have occurred, but at a rate less than the minimum detectable permeation rate of the analytical device.

Permeation is the process by which a potentially hazardous chemical moves through a material on a molecular level. This process involves the following steps: 1. Sorption of molecules of liquid onto the contracted (outside) surface of the fabric. 2. Diffusion of the sorbed molecules across the fabric. 3. Desorption of the molecules from the opposite (inside) surface of the fabric. Permeation measurements are conducted to the following norms EN ISO 6529 (method A and B), ASTM F-739 or EN 374-3. For these methods a two-chambered test cell is used. The test specimen is positioned between the two sections of the cell. On the challenge side of the test cell the outside fabric surface is exposed continuously to the challenge chemical. The sampling side of the test cell is analytically monitored. The standard test duration is 480 minutes. Permeation measurements are conducted at room temperature and at at ambiant pressure (if not stated otherwise). EN ISO 6529 Methode A describes measurements o liquid chemicals with continous contact. EN ISO 6529 Methode B describes measurements of gaseous chemicals with continuous contact. The rest result of a peremation measurement is reported as a breakthrough time in minutes at a normalized permeation rate (BT0.1, BT1.0) or as a Class according to EN 14325. testing solid chemicals,

In terms of chemical protective clothing, penetration is the passage of a chemical through a pore or opening in the barrier material. Permeation is the absorption, diffusion and desorption of a chemical through the barrier material at the molecular level.

Resistance to penetration by liquids is a process in which a chemical moves through pores, seams, apertures or essential openings in a material or finished item of a clothing. Repellency is the ability of a fabric to shed liquid that is applied to the surface of a fabric. Penetration and repellency is measured according to ISO 6530. This test is know a the "gutter-test". Reference chemicals for penetration and repellency testing are: 30 % Sulphuric acis, 10 & Sodium Hydroxide, o-Xylene, Butan-1-ol. Chemical protective clothing, Category III, Typ 6 requires a liquid repellency level of 3 for at least one of the four chemicals and a resistance to penetration at a performance level of at least 2 for one of the 4 chemicals. The peformance level for Penetration and Repellency is listed in the Instruction for Use for the specific garment and in SafeSPEC(TM) under Data/Penetration and Repellency. Measuring the resistance to penetration and repellency is a fabric test and only applicable for garments. The test is not required for the Certfication of Partial Body Protection.

A Cumulative Permeation Mass is the total amount (mass) of chemical that permeates the fabrics during a certain time.

If the concentration of your hazard is HIGHER than the hazard concentration listed in the hazard search box, you can NOT use the data for the lower concentration hazard. This data will not give you an accurate assessment of suitable garments. Please Contact Us for assistance.

A Steady State Permeation Rate is a constant permeation rate after reaching an equilibrium. Steady State Permeation Rate is not necessarily reached within the normal test duration of 480 minutes for each chemical-fabric combination.

A Cumulative Permeation Time is a time which is required to reach a a total quantity of a chemical per squaremeter. Safespec report the time which is required t acumulate a mass of 150 m time150).

If the temperature of your hazard is LOWER than the hazard listed in the hazard search box, go ahead and select the higher temperature hazard as long as the physical phase (solid, liquid or gas/vapor) is the same. Because chemical hazards become more aggressive with increasing temperatures, selecting a higher temperature chemical hazard will lead to a more conservative result.

PLEASE NOTE: DuPont garments do not provide adequate insulation to protect the wearer's skin against prolonged exposures to cold temperature hazards. Depending on the temperature of the chemical and the duration of exposure, the wearer could be subjected to frostbite. In addition, at temperatures below -13°F (-25°C), some DuPont fabrics could lose flexibility.

Unless otherwise stated, DuPont tests chemical hazards per ASTM F739 at ambient temperatures (approximately 72-81°F ; 22-27°C).

TYCHEM® styles are not air - or water vapour permeable due to their material structure. The work place risk assessment should evaluate how long a wearer can work in a non-breathable suit. The environmental temperature, extent of the physical work, and physical health of the wearer should be considered. Frequent breaks and liquid refreshment should be taken into consideration.

TYCHEM® styles retain their flexibility down to 0

If the temperature of your hazard is LOWER than the hazard listed in the hazard search box, go ahead and select the higher temperature hazard as long as the physical phase (solid, liquid or gas/vapor) is the same. Because chemical hazards become more aggressive with increasing temperatures, selecting a higher temperature chemical hazard will lead to a more conservative result.

PLEASE NOTE: DuPont garments do not provide adequate insulation to protect the wearer's skin against prolonged exposures to cold temperature hazards. Depending on the temperature of the chemical and the duration of exposure, the wearer could be subjected to frostbite. In addition, at temperatures below -13°F (-25°C), some DuPont fabrics could lose flexibility.

Unless otherwise stated, DuPont tests chemical hazards per ASTM F739 at ambient temperatures (approximately 72-81°F ; 22-27°C).

Warefare agents are tested according to MIL_STD_282 at 22r according to FINABEL 0.7 at 37. Due to the anaytical methods which is used in these standards the result of the measurements are proported at actual breakthrough times only.

The permeation data provides you information on the barrier a protective clothing material offers against a hazardous chemical. Permeation is determined by measuring the breakthrough time and the subsequent permeation rate of the chemical through the material. Permeation rate is defined as the speed at which the hazardous chemical permeates through the test material. Breakthrough time is defined as actual and normalised breakthrough time. The actual breakthrough time is the time elapsed between initial contact of the chemical with the outside surface of the material and the detection of the chemical at the inside surface by the analytical device. An actual breakthrough time of > 480 minutes and a permeation rate of and (not detected) does not mean breakthrough has not occurred. It means that permeation was not detected after an observation time of eight hours. Permeation may have occurred, but at less than the minimum detectable permeation rate. Since actual breakthrough times depend on the sensitivity of the analytical device, the concept of normalised breakthrough times is used. The normalised breakthrough time is defined as the elapsed time between initial contact of the chemical with the outside surface of the material and the time at which the chemical is detected at the inside surface of the material at a permeation rate of 1 cm in (according to EN/ISO 6529, EN 369 or EN 374-3) and 0.1 cm in (according to EN/ISO 6529/ASTM F739). A normalised breakthrough time of > 480 minutes means that the average permeation rate has never reached the defined rate (0.1 min or 1.0 miin) according to the referred norm. However, the chemical may have actually broken through. Attention: The classification of permeation data according to EN ISO 6529 can refer to normalised breakthrough time at 0.1 min or 1.0 min. Therefore, we strongly recommend you verifying at which normalised breakthrough time any performance classification ( e.g. class 1 to 6) is based.

[Garment] has been tested according to EN 14126 (Protective clothing- Performance requirements and tests methods for protective clothing against infective agents) and passed the tests in the highest performance classes. [Garment] can be used for inspection and dry particulate and liquid exposures. We suggest this [Garment] for handling biological agents which are are classified into risk group 3 according to the Council Directive 90/679/EEC. Group 3 biological agents means one that can cause severe human disease and present a serious hazard to workers; it may present a risk of spreading to the community, but there is usually prophylaxis and treatrment available. Examples for Bacillus anthracis/ Mycobacterium tuberculosis/ Yersinia pestis/ Hepatitis B virus/ Monkey pox virus/ Hepatitis B virus/ HIV virus/ Monkeypox virus/ Dengue virus/ Groupbiological agents can be handled as well with [Garmt]. The choice betweeen the garments depends on the desinfectant which is used.

It depends on the specific chemical substance, toxicity of the substrate, concentration, fabric barrier performance, garment area contaminated, temperature, pressure of substances when reaching garment surface and protective undergarment. By consulting the permeation data, based on the actual breakthrough time, you can already ascertain whether a constituent fabric offers a barrier for the duration of the task. Where actual breakthrough times are less than the duration of the task, caution is needed.

Permeation tests, by comparison, are better suited for testing hazardous liquids and vapors. It is the test method of choice for Tychem® fabrics. There are many critical factors that influence permeation: the challenge chemical (i.e. concentration, temperature, surface tension, the size of the molecules, functional groups, etc.), the make-up of the barrier material, the exposure time and several physical factors like ambient temperature and pressure, just to name a few. Because there are so many variables, DuPont has performed permeation tests on hundreds of chemicals against our Tychem® fabrics.

Tychem® C and Tychem® F garment seams open at 98 Tychem® fabrics are not a thermal barrier, so to avoid injury, ensure correct undergarments are worn.

Tychem® chemical protective suits are used to protect people from hazards and processes from contamination by people in a wide range of applications, such as: Chemical industry, pharmaceutical industry, automotive, food industry, agrochemical handling, transportation, petrochemical industry, industrial cleaning and maintenance, cleanroom applications, emergency response and military. Tychem® C - protection against many concentrated inorganic chemicals, biological hazards and ultra fine particles. Tychem® F protection against various organic chemicals and highly concentrated inorganic, biological hazards, ultra fine particles and oil. Tychem® C2 - protection against many concentrated inorganic chemicals, biological hazards and ultra fine particles and offers improved tightness level at a higher mechanical strength. Tychem® F2 - protection against various organic chemicals and highly concentrated inorganic, biological hazards, ultra fine particles and offers improved tightness level at a higher mechanical strength.

Permeation measurements can be conducted for liquid and gaseous chemicals for which an analytical methode with a reasonable detection limit is available. Solids can be solved in a solvent. The fabric needs to perform as a barrier to this solvent. The chemical shall not be a risk for the (e.g.

If the temperature of your hazard is HIGHER than the hazard listed in the hazard search box, you can NOT use the data for the lower temperature hazard. Chemical hazards become more aggressive with increasing temperatures. Selecting a lower temperature chemical hazard will not give you an accurate assessment of suitable garments.

PLEASE NOTE: DuPont garments do not provide adequate insulation to protect the wearer's skin against prolonged exposures to high temperature chemical hazards. Depending on the temperature of the chemical hazard and the duration of exposure, the wearer could be subjected to a thermal burn.

Unless otherwise stated, DuPont tests chemical hazards per ASTM F739 at ambient temperatures (approximately 72-81°F ; 22-27°C).

In general, garments must be correctly and continuously grounded by contact with electrostatic dissipative shoes, floor and/or grounding cable to the antistatic treated side of the garment. If the wearer of an antistatically treated garment is not connected to a grounded surface, the wearer/garment will remain charged. It also important to consider that electrostatic charges may also build up on ancillary equipment such as breathing apparatus and other devices. Therefore those must be separately grounded when worn in conjunction with a garment. Attention must be paid to the local humidity levels since in dry environments with a relative humidity below 25%, the antistatic finish may no longer function effectively. Garments with attached socks cannot be grounded via the shoes.

When working in explosive environments it is recommended to first control the relative humidity since in extremely dry environments with a relative humidity below 25%, the antistatic finish on the garments may no longer function. The chemical protective suit must be correctly and continuously grounded via electrostatic dissipative shoes, floor and / or grounding cable. If the wearer of an antistatically treated garment is not connected to a grounded surface, the wearer/garment might remain charged.

The following typical mistakes that can happen when working with protective clothing have been reported to us: Opening of garment or mask while working in the risk zone. Interrupting the task and leaving the dangerous zone with contaminated garment and moving to other zones like offices. Carelessness of wearers with regard to hot surfaces, sparks or sharp edges. Employees with a passive role in the dangerous zone do often not wear protective clothing. No or false grounding of garments due to insufficient knowledge or underestimation of risk of electrostatic charging. Under protection: wrong fabric selection or garment tightness level for the hazard. Loss of protection if the suit becomes abraded or damaged and is not changed.

Tyvek® 800, Tychem® C, Tychem® C2, Tychem® 4000, Tychem® F and Tychem® F2 are antistatically treated on the inside surface only. Both materials meet surface resistivity criteria (according to EN 1149-1) to avoid incendiary discharge). Below 25% relative humidity of air the antistatic treatment may lose its dissipative properties. Tychem® TK. Has no antistatic treatment