New chemical emergency response suit

Citation

(1999), "New chemical emergency response suit", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 8 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.1999.07308aad.005

New chemical emergency response suit

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New chemical emergency response suit

Shiloh Healthcare Ltd. have launched a lightweight emergency response suit which uses high tech DuPont TYVEK-PRO.TECH "F" barrier fabric to provide high comfort and protection at an affordable price.

The new chemical splash suits are expected to have a revolutionary impact on the working efficiency of emergency teams exposed to hazardous environments. Used with either an external air line or with self-contained breathing apparatus they have been designed for comfort, mobility and improved visibility whilst retaining the strength and chemical barrier usually only associated with heavy, unyielding rubberised or PVC-based materials.

Weighing as little as 750 grammes the suits are fully encapsulating and incorporate an integral panoramic visor. In addition to being light, comfortable and highly protective the new suit offers serious cost savings. "Generally speaking, the cost of the new suit, like its weight, is a fraction of conventional, heavyweight alternatives", says Colin Horsfall, national sales manager at Shiloh Healthcare. "The suits themselves are considerably cheaper and, of course, there are no associated decontamination costs."

And, according to Shiloh's Gary MacLaren, sales and marketing director, the new high hazard suits represent a real breakthrough in emergency splash suit design. "Since they do not restrict movement and are a fraction of the weight of conventional re-usable suits operators prefer to wear them." He says, "This is half the battle. The other half relates to wearer productivity and efficiency and again the new suits win hands down."

The suits are CE certified as Type 3 (liquid tight) limited-use chemical protective clothing and are available with a complete range of compatible accessories including air lines, lightweight cylinders, gloves and bootees.

TYVEK-PRO.TECH "F" fabric is a high performance multi layer barrier fabric manufactured by laminating TYVEK spunbonded polyethylene to a polymer-coated barrier film. This results in a particle-tight material with excellent resistance to penetration by most organic and inorganic chemicals.

Users of the new Shiloh chemical splash suit can access DuPont's "TYDAT" chemical permeation data service and the DuPont 24-hour Hot-Line in emergencies. The "TYDAT" system is an expert system which considers the specific environmental and exposure circumstances and returns a recommendation as to the most appropriate protective garment. An indication of safe wear time following contamination is also possible in most cases.

The"TYDAT" service is available through Shiloh on +44 (0) 161 624 5641 or directly through the TYVEK-PRO.TECH Internet Website at http://www.dupont.com/tyvek/protective-apparel/europe where visitors can find chemical permeation data on over 150 chemicals.