Things to consider:

Please consider the temperature of the hazard and the working environment, the melting and boiling point temperatures of the hazard, as well as the volatility (i.e. vapor pressure) of the hazard. If a phase change to the vapor state is likely, either from a solid to a vapor (sublimation) or a liquid to a vapor (boiling, or due to a high vapor pressure), it is important to monitor that vapor concentration. If your hazard analysis indicates that the vapor concentration will be above the exposure limit, then an encapsulated Level A suit will be required.

What is an exposure limit?

An exposure limit is the concentration of a given vapor in the work environment above which the use of personal protective equipment is required. This limit is dependent on the hazard in question and often varies between OSHA's permissible exposure level (PEL) and NIOSH's recommended exposure level (REL).

What is the difference between a liquid aerosol and a gas / vapor?

A liquid aerosol is small liquid droplets suspended in air, for example, a paint spray. By contrast, a vapor / gas is a hazard that is above its boiling point. Fumes would be considered vapors.

What if I have a solid hazard that is dissolved in a liquid?

If your hazard would be in the solid phase at your working temperature but it is dissolved or suspended in a liquid solution, please select liquid as your physical state. Only select solid' if your hazard is not in the presence of any liquid solvent, including water).

Select 'hazardous' if any of the following are true for your hazard:

  • It can damage or destroy the surface of the skin (chemical burn, irritation, dermal necrosis, etc.)
  • It can cause skin sensitization or an allergic response
  • It can be absorbed through the skin
  • It is considered a known, suspected or probable carcinogen
  • Any other reason that would require skin protection

Not all 'hazards' are hazardous to the skin. For example, protective clothing may be worn to keep work clothes clean from dirt or dust that is not considered to be hazardous to the skin. Similarly, there may be some situations where the concentration of the hazard will be low enough to deem it non-hazardous to the skin.

Select "pure" if:

  • The hazard has only one component that is greater than 95% of the total concentration. Note that sometime the highest possible level of purity for a chemical may be 95%, since there may be trace impurities present. In this situation, you can consider a 95% (or higher concentration) material to be pure. Be sure to review the MSDS carefully. Sometimes it may only list "hazardous" ingredients. If there is only one hazardous ingredient listed on the MSDS, but its listed concentration is less than 95%, you should select "mixture".
  • The hazard is an inorganic acid or base (i.e. water-based acids and bases such as hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide, etc.) and it will not be mixed with any other hazard.

 

Select "mixture" if:

 

  • The hazard has multiple ingredients listed in various concentrations on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
  • The hazard is a proprietary blend of various chemicals
  • Various chemical hazards will be mixed in the work environment. For example, when cleaning a vessel, the work activity will create a mixture of the cleaning agent and the residual contents of the vessel.
  • Any chemical hazard (other than inorganic acids or bases), which is mixed with or diluted by another chemical, including water.

Why does it matter if my hazard is pure or a mixture?

Chemical mixtures can behave differently than the individual constituents. Do not make the assumption that a fabric will provide barrier protection to a mixture of various chemicals even if it shows barrier protection against what you consider to be the most hazardous ingredient or if it would provide protection against each of the ingredients individually. This thinking is flawed because 1) it does not take into account any chemical reactions that may occur and 2) if one ingredient is able to permeate the fabric, it may facilitate permeation of other ingredients through the fabric as well.

Click here to see more information from Dupont about chemical Mixtures

 

1 micron (also referred to as a micrometer) is a metric unit of length used for very small materials. For comparison, it takes 1,000 microns to equal 1 millimeter or 1 million microns to equal 1 meter.

To better understand this order of magnitude, take a look at the metric scale on a typical desk ruler. There should be about 30 centimeters marked for a standard 12 inch ruler. The 10 tick marks between each centimeter is one millimeter. If the space between each millimeter was divided into 1000 additional tick marks, each of those tick marks would measure 1 micron. That's small!

These chemical classes and sub-classes are based on the chemical functional groups which are present in the hazard. One hazard may have multiple functional groups. Please select all chemical classes/sub-classes that apply.

If you cannot find your chemical class listed here, that means that currently DuPont does not have permeation data for any chemical within that class.

NOTE:

Fabric permeation data is used as the basis for garment recommendations for hazardous liquids (either spray or jet exposures) and hazardous vapors. Unless otherwise noted, permeation testing was conducted at room temperature, approximately 20-27° C (68-81° F). An increase in temperatures in your work environment, either ambient or of the hazard, may reduce the barrier performance of the fabric.

There are additional hazards that are not considered in this selector tool including, but not limited to: asphyxiation, extreme heat or cold environments or hazards, physical hazards (such as cut, puncture and abrasion), slipping, falling and visibility.

CAUTION:

The wearer of the chemical garment should move out of the way of a jet exposure as quickly as possible. Garment protection information provided is based on limited initial exposure to a jet of the liquid chemical, not to continuous contact for an extended period of time.DuPont assumes no responsibility or liability for suit selection based on incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information and which does not consider all hazards.

I HAVE REVIEWED THE INPUT INFORMATION AND IT IS CORRECT. I UNDERSTAND THAT INACCURATE, INCOMPLETE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION OR INFORMATION WHICH DOES NOT CONSIDER ALL HAZARDS MAY RESULT IN AN INCORRECT SUIT RECOMMENDATION. I UNDERSTAND THERE MAY BE ADDITIONAL HAZARDS PRESENT FOR WHICH THIS SELECTION MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE.

Based on the answers to your hazard scenario, the following seam(s) may be considered. Please review the following information and select the seam(s) that you would like to evaluate.The seams are shown in order of increasing performance.

Based on the answers to your hazard scenario, the following design(s) may be considered. Please note, these are generic garment designs. Specific garment details can be viewed/selected on the following screen.

You have indicated that your hazard is a non-hazardous vapor. Chemical protective clothing is not typically required for exposure to non-hazardous vapors. Please confirm that your vapor hazard is in fact non-hazardous to the skin. If you are still interested in chemical protective clothing for vapor hazards, please view our full line of Level A encapsulating suits . If your vapor is hazardous, please select the "hazardous" option.

 Please review the following information and select the  fabric(s), Seam(s) & Design(s) that you would like to evaluate. For a general fabric overview, please view our Hazards Matrix