- Author
- Taylor, S. M. | Kim, C. J. | Lombardi, J. | Lea, S. M.
- Title
- Pesticide Residue Distribution on Protective Clothing Fabrics as Determined by SEM Micrographs and Their Image Analyses.
- Coporate
- North Carolina Univ., Greensboro
- Report
- ASTM STP 1386,
- Book or Conf
- Performance of Protective Clothing: Issues and Priorities for the 21st Century. Proceedings. Seventh (7th) Volume. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). ASTM STP 1386. June 28-30, 1999, ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA, Seattle, WA, Nelson, C. N.; Henry, N. W., Editors, 269-281 p., 2000
- Keywords
- protective clothing | protective equipment | pesticides | residues | clothing | fabrics | barriers | regulations | contamination | atrazine | data analysis | woven fabrics | nonwoven fabrics
- Identifiers
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM); barrief efficiency; stribution pattern; image analysis; pixel; fabrics and their descriptions; fabric contamination with atrazine solution; uncontaminated fabric structure by SEM micrographs; mean image analysis results of uncontaminated fabric structure; mean image analysis results o contaminated fabric structure
- Abstract
- Workers using pesticide are required by federal law to wear personal protective equipment. Thus, understanding the interaction between pesticide and the surface of protective clothing fabrics is necessary to facilitate design of fabrics that meet federal regulations and are cost-effective and comfortable to wear. Six protective clothing fabrics, two woven and four nonwoven, were investigated to determine distribution patterns of pesticide residues on the fabrics. We developed procedures to measure and describe image characteristics of these protective clothing fabrics in their natural state and related those to images with pesticide contamination. Pesticide distribution patterns were different depending on the fabric structure and fiber content. Mainly, pesticide residues crystallized on fiber surfaces except for the 100% cotton woven fabric, in which pesticide was believed to be absorbed into the cotton fibers and thus less amounts of pesticide were shown on the surface. The 100% polyethylene fabric was sheet-like, so pesticide residues spread evenly on the fabric surface. Image analysis of fabric structure with or without pesticide contamination revealed that images darkened with the addition of pesticide; however, images with pesticide contamination darkened differently between the six protective clothing fabrics.