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Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 12, No. 6, 2022, 9560-9564 9560
www.etasr.com Ijaz et al.: Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical Industry Workers in Pakistan
Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical
Industry Workers in Pakistan
Chemical Resistance of Protective Clothing
Mehreen Ijaz
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
mehreenijaz@hotmail.com
Namood-e-Sahar
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
n.sahar6282@gmail.com
Zohra Tariq
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
zohra.tariq@lcwu.edu.pk
Rafia Fatima
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
rafia.fatima@lcwu.edu.pk
Zahra Rasheed
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
zahrarasheed29@gmail.com
Madeeha Tariq
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
madeeha.tariq@lcwu.edu.pk
Hibba Munir Dar
Department of Home Economics
Lahore College for Women University
Lahore, Pakistan
dar_hiba@yahoo.com
Received: 27 August 2022 | Revised: 18 September 2022 | Accepted: 20 September 2022
Abstract-Protective clothing serves as a barrier against many
hazards faced by workers in the industry. This study aimed to
investigate the performance of locally manufactured clothing
used by workers in the chemical industries in Pakistan. The
construction parameters were determined using international test
procedures for all samples. Then, these were assessed for their
chemical resistance behavior after various laundering intervals,
following the ISO 6530:2005 test method. After the investigation,
it was observed that the collected samples failed to meet the
minimum criteria for penetration and repellency through their
structure. The samples were unable to repel a minimum of 95%
liquid chemical and penetrated it more than 5%, even at zero
wash. These conditions worsened with each washing interval.
Clothing materials should always be checked for their
performance before use.
Keywords-chemical resistance; penetration; repellency;
protective clothing; laundering; chemical industry; Pakistan
I. INTRODUCTION
Clothing is considered the second skin for the wearer and
protects him against physical, chemical, and environmental
hazards. While many advancements have been achieved in the
manufacture of protective clothing, there is a lack of a
comprehensive and detailed evaluation system in terms of
experimentation and regulation [1]. Standard procedures and
regulations are very necessary to implement in industries for
the welfare of personnel [2]. Chemical protective clothing
materials are supposed to be the last defense line for workers
dealing with toxic chemicals. Efforts must be made to make the
best clothing to provide safety to its wearer. Chemicals vary in
their nature from acute to chronic. The industrial working
conditions require the wearing of protective clothing to protect
the operating staff [3]. The clothing materials should be
assessed for their performance before use. Chemical resistance
can be evaluated by certain factors such as permeation time,
breakthrough time, repellency, retention, penetration index, etc.
[4]. Protective clothing is generally classified into various
levels according to the protection rate it provides and is made
of natural and synthetic fibers or a blend of both [5, 6].
Protective coveralls are generally worn by industry workers
[7]. A regulatory body assesses the best protective ensemble for
workers based on the toxicity and flammability of the
chemicals used in various processes [8]. Accidents caused by
chemical exposure in workplaces are horrendous. Workers are
often exposed to toxic chemicals without safety measures while
working in the industrial sector in Pakistan, resulting in many
fatal accidents. Many workers, more than one-third of the
respondents in [9], reported high risks associated with chemical
exposure. It has been observed that although many toxic
substances pose serious risks to their lives, workers expose
themselves without wearing an adequate type of protective
clothing. Occupational assessment related to the health and
safety of workers in Pakistan has yet to receive great
importance. Therefore, it is very important to determine
Corresponding author: Mehreen Ijaz
Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 12, No. 6, 2022, 9560-9564 9561
www.etasr.com Ijaz et al.: Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical Industry Workers in Pakistan
measures and evaluate the performance of the provided
protective equipment. The increase in the rate of deaths and
injuries of factory employees is caused by the absence of a
safety framework or the adoption of poorly administered safety
measures [10]. The wages and salaries of most workers in
Pakistan are very low. Workers usually do not bother about
their health conditions and try hard to do more work regardless
of checking the adequate protective measures. A survey carried
out by the government of Pakistan showed that approximately
4.1 workers are seriously injured in industrial settings every
year [11]. One of the main reasons for injuries is the lack of
awareness about the use of protective equipment [12], while
60.9% of the workforce is not familiar with Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE) [13].
It should be the responsibility of the employer to provide
safety equipment to the workers. An assessment of the risks
associated with chemical industries must be made to avoid
accidents and injuries. Workers must have a proper protective
ensemble to protect themselves from fire and chemical hazards
during the handling and storage of hazardous chemicals [14].
As most chemical industries in Pakistan use locally
manufactured protective clothing materials for their staff, there
is a dire need to evaluate their performance before use.
Protective clothing loses its quality with time due to the
abrasion caused during work, rubbing during washing, and lack
of proper care and cleaning procedures. This study aims to
determine the clothing materials used by local chemical
industries for their workers, in terms of protection against
certain liquid chemicals after various washing intervals.
II. MATERIALS AND METHODS
Chemical industries with head offices located in the Punjab
province were approached and locally manufactured protective
clothing used by their workers was collected (Figure 1). A total
of five categories were identified according to their fiber
content.
Fig. 1. Flowchart of the research methodology.
The identification of textile fibers is of great importance.
There are multiple methods to identify the generic group of
fibers, such as burning, microscopic, and chemical tests [15].
The construction specifications of the collected samples were
determined through qualitative and quantitative fiber analysis,
as shown in Table I.
TABLE I. CONSTRUCTION PARAMETERS OF COLLECTED CLOTHING
MATERIALS
Sample
code
Fiber content
Yarn count:
warp×weft
(thread count)
Fabric
mass
(gsm)
Linear density
(warp × weft)
AB-1
Cotton 40%
Polyester 60%
113×95 (208) 150 17.21×15.43
AB-2
Cotton 70%
Polyester 30%
95×75 (170) 138 16.34×16.34
AB-3
Cotton 95%
Rayon 5%
105×68 (173) 162 17.29×18.91
AB-4
Cotton 98%
Polyester 2%
99×76 (175) 125 18.32×15.63
AB-5
Cotton 50%
Polyester 50%
110×85 (195) 121 15.34×18.45
Qualitative analysis was performed using the AATCC test
method [16] to find the generic group of fibers. The samples
were dipped in distilled hot water to remove impurities and
were then treated with a 0.5% solution of sodium hydroxide to
separate the vegetable matter. After that, the samples were
washed out and dried. The dyed samples were stripped with
0.5% sodium hydrosulfite at 50°C for half an hour. Afterward,
a visual examination was performed of physical parameters
such as color, yarn length, fineness, number of neps, thickness,
and uniformity. Fibers were identified at pre-burning, during
burning, and post-burning stages through a burning test.
Microscopic evaluation was also performed with longitudinal
and cross-sectional views of the samples. A quantitative
analysis was followed using the chemical test adopting the
instructions given in the AATCC test procedure [17]. The
samples from each group were taken and treated with the
relative reagent to measure the solubility ratio given in the
standard. The yarn count in both the warp and weft directions
was determined using the standard test procedure [18]. The
number of yarns in the test area of one inch was counted with
the help of a magnifying counting glass. The thread count was
calculated by adding the number of warp and weft yarns. The
fabric mass was determined by following the standard
procedure of [19]. The samples were measured in a weighing
balance and the mass per unit area of m
2
was recorded with an
accuracy level of ±0.1%. The linear density in both directions
was also identified [20]. The length and mass of the yarns were
determined with the respective scales and calculations were
carried out to measure the linear density.
The performance behavior of protective clothing must be
evaluated after various washing intervals. Standard laundering
procedures must be followed to verify the efficiency and
adequacy of textile materials up to a specific number of
intervals [21]. After identifying the construction specifications
of the samples, they were laundered through the American
Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC)
Monograph [22] in a front load washing machine under the
agitation speed of 45±10rpm. The temperature was set to 54°C
Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 12, No. 6, 2022, 9560-9564 9562
www.etasr.com Ijaz et al.: Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical Industry Workers in Pakistan
for 11±1 minutes. An approximate 0.1g/liter standard detergent
was added in each wash cycle. The samples were spun at
1300rpm for about12 minutes. The tumble drying was made at
68°C for one and a half hours.
A total of 15 laundering cycles were applied to the samples
from each category. After every 5 cycles, they were labeled and
processed for further testing. All test samples were kept at a
temperature of 21°C and 65% relative humidity for one day
[23]. The samples were assessed for their resistance against 4
liquid chemicals, i.e. sulphuric acid, sodium hydroxide, xylene,
and butanol, according to the procedure defined by ISO
6530:2005 [24], through their ratios of penetration and
repellency. This method helps determining the rate of
penetration and repellency against these liquid chemicals [25].
The samples from each group were cut into 14×9 inch pieces
and were taken as an upper layer. An absorbent sheet with a
plastic back of the same dimensions was also acquired and
weighed separately. Their distance was approximately 1 inch
and they were placed on a collector layer. This test assemblage
was tilted at 45°. Ten milliliters of each chemical were poured
off through a nozzle from the test fabric and were collected in a
beaker placed beneath it. After a minute, both layers were
separated and weighed again. The chemical retained by the
collector layer was considered for the penetration rate. The
chemical in the beaker was recorded as the repellency rate. At
least one of the chemicals should repel 95% and penetrate less
than 5% of the samples. The rate of penetration was measured
as:
� =
����
�
(1)
where A is the chemical retained by the absorbent sheet and B
is the chemical retained by the test specimen. The rate of
repellency was calculated as:
� =
×
���
�
(2)
where C is the chemical collected in a beaker and B is the
chemical retained by the test specimen.
III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The tested clothing materials did not pass the minimum
performance criteria for protecting against liquid chemicals.
The samples did not repel 95% of any chemical, even at the
initial washing cycles. Moreover, more than 5% of each
chemical penetrated them even at zero washes. The condition
worsened with each washing interval. One of the main reasons
was the increase in the porosity of the fibers due to the
laundering cycles, as they opened their structure and allowed
the chemical to pass through more easily. The difference
between samples was due to the variation in fiber content. It is
always necessary to study the chemical resistance of protective
clothing worn by workers for protection. Laundering thins the
fibers due to the constant rubbing in the washing machine and
weakens them, letting the liquid pass through them [26]. The
kind of polymer plays an important role in determining the
chemical behavior of fabrics [27]. It was found that specimen
AB-1 performed well, followed by AB-5 and AB-2, due to the
presence of polyester fibers which helped repel the chemicals.
It was also found that the fabrics were made in a single layer
with low mass rates, which also caused them to allow the
penetration of more chemicals and repel less [28]. The increase
in mass and the number of layers increases the time it takes for
any chemical to penetrate the structure [29, 30]. The lamination
and coating applied on the surface of fabrics also makes them
strong and durable against the penetration of liquids. It was
observed that the tested samples were laminated with weak
finishing treatments that leaked the chemicals in the very initial
washing cycles. This treatment was removed at the last interval
and all liquid chemicals permeated through the fabric structure,
as seen in Table II.
TABLE II. RATE OF PENETRATION AND REPELLENCY OF TESTED SPECIMENS
Laundering cycle Sample code Sulphuric acid Sodium hydroxide Xylene Butanol
P R P R P R P R
0 AB-1 21.7 78.7 29.6 70.8 34.8 65.7 23.8 75.4
0 AB-2 38.5 61.5 48.6 49.8 64.2 34.8 49.8 45.8
0 AB-3 51.2 45.7 68.6 32.4 79.6 22.7 57.6 39.6
0 AB-4 50.9 41.1 66.2 32.9 78.5 20.7 73.9 25.1
0 AB-5 29.7 69.6 44.8 54.9 48.2 49.2 59.1 41.4
5 AB-1 39.7 61.5 49.7 51.4 49.3 48.1 48.9 49.7
5 AB-2 42.3 56.8 55.7 41.9 49.7 49.3 48.6 47.3
5 AB-3 50.8 38.3 73.6 27.9 72.3 24.2 78.5 19.6
5 AB-4 62.6 35.4 75.8 24.8 86.6 13.2 68.3 29.6
5 AB-5 48.6 51.7 55.8 43.6 59.8 41.8 58.2 41.8
10 AB-1 41.2 61.9 49.8 49.7 63.5 33.6 41.2 58.6
10 AB-2 59.8 41.8 67.8 32.1 78.1 21.5 42.8 37.5
10 AB-3 71.2 28.4 82.5 14.9 88.5 17.3 81.1 18.5
10 AB-4 68.9 29.2 80.5 19.5 88.5 11.2 83.5 15.8
10 AB-5 68.6 31.4 65.9 31.7 83.1 15.6 82.2 18.5
15 AB-1 79.7 22.5 69.2 29.5 76.3 22.4 82.9 17.4
15 AB-2 77.8 20.9 81.4 17.2 90.9 7.5 88.9 11.4
15 AB-3 80.4 18.7 88.5 11.6 92.5 7.3 88.6 10.2
15 AB-4 88.7 10.5 90.7 9.5 94.2 5.4 91.4 8.4
15 AB-5 76.7 22.7 85.6 13.5 89.3 9.9 89.1 10.8
Note: P=Penetration %age, R=Repellency %age
Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research Vol. 12, No. 6, 2022, 9560-9564 9563
www.etasr.com Ijaz et al.: Assessment of Protective Clothing Used by Chemical Industry Workers in Pakistan
The penetration and repellency of the tested specimens
were directly proportional to the laundering cycles. Analysis of
Variance (ANOVA) was applied to measure the difference
between specimens after washing intervals of 0, 5, 10, and 15
cycles. The p-values, 0.00 and 0.001, show that specimens
deteriorate in their performance with each washing interval for
penetration and repellency respectively, as seen in Table III.
TABLE III. STATISTIC ANALYSIS AT VARIOUS WASHING INTERVALS
Chemical
resistance
Washing
interval
Mean square F p-value
Penetration Linear 17965.23 46.76 0.00
Repellency Linear 15674.52 38.91 0.01
IV. CONCLUSION
This study concluded that the locally manufactured
protective clothing does not provide complete protection
against liquid hazards. The variation in the results was due to
the variation in the construction parameters of the collected
samples. The performance of the materials worsened with the
increasing number of washing cycles. This study can help
textile manufacturers to make amendments to their construction
parameters and techniques in order to provide better protection
against chemical hazards. Every industry has its performance
requirements.
V. FUTURE WORK AND LIMITATIONS
This study was limited to the chemical industries, while
follow-up studies should evaluate the performance of clothing
used by the textile sector and medical or agricultural personnel.
Follow-up studies should also investigate other items of
protective clothing, such as gloves and masks, as this study was
limited only to protective coveralls. Moreover, future studies
should examine the risks of fire hazards. Furthermore, future
studies should also investigate the perceptions and experiences
of employees and employers to point out factors that will boost
the establishment of safety frameworks in industries.
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