Abstract

Polymer gloves, used by most workers in the field of chemistry, those in contact with pesticides and those who administer chemotherapy drugs in hospitals, are among the most widely used personal protective equipment (PPE) against chemical contaminants.

PPE effectiveness is measured according to the ASTM-F739 standard, but for less volatile molecules or for nanoparticles, the detection limits of the analytical techniques currently used are insufficient. Two previous research projects funded by the IRSST, 0099-7910 and 2013-0060, documented the difficulty of quickly and accurately quantifying the penetration and passage of nanoparticles through protective gloves.

This project aims to develop a new and highly sensitive test method to measure in real time the passage of nanometric contaminants through the polymers of protective gloves used as PPE.