Hi,

Does anyone have a weblink that might help me with the above. Specifically in relation to chemical use. For example I am trying to determine the glove type & RPE filter type for use with pure acetone and Butanone. Checked the MSDS and its vague. I would rather something I can use on a consistent basis.

Thanks.

In answer to the glove question in your post, it isn't quite as simple as many think. A great deal depends on how the gloves will be used, for example splash or immersion, duration, dexterity, temperature and other factors will influence which glove and for how long it will provide protection. This is one reason why safety data sheets are not - actually cannot - be more precise. As it happens, for acetone the only gloves that offer class 6 (>480 minutes) protection are butyl, but these are relatively thick and result in limited dexterity. Butyl will provide some limited protection against butanone as does the Silver Shield laminated glove. No other glove material provides more than splash protection - i.e. change glove immediately contact occurs.

Caution with manufacturer's published permeation breakthrough tines. These should now be from testing for permeation to EN ISO 16523-1 but the test is flawed in that it tests at room temperature (23 deg C) rather than skin temperature (32-26 deg C). Depending on glove material and chemical the result of the temperature difference can in some circumstances reduce permeation breakthrough time by as much as 75-80%.

And mixtures can present a special problem. For example a glove providing class 5 (>240 minutes) protection against toluene and MEK individually provided less than class 1(10-30 mins) when the two were mixed 1:1!

As said, it is not always simple.

Chris

If, as is usual, your PPE supplier is a 'distributor' then my experience is that they rarely understand the complexities and usually work on the basis of the information in the manufacturers' catalogues. This rarely matches what you need for your particular situation. Sometimes I get the feeling that they are more concerned with getting an order and cost is the major consideration. I have actually had discussions with some distributors' salespersons who weren't even aware of permeation but were still advising on gloves!

When considering which glove I always only use the information from the manufacturers and even treat this with some caution depending on who it comes from.

Chris

And with RPE it is similar to Chris’s response on gloves. It depends on what you want to use it for.

Is it for short duration, for example dealing with minor spill or are you expecting the person to spend a whole shift exposed to the substance. At what level; at or near to the WEL or is it just a possibility hat the there is an exposure. You should also be asking the question if it is continuous exposure, why can’t you use some form of LEV?

Thanks for all your input.