The use of 3M porous polymer extraction discs in assessing protective clothing chemical permeation

The aim of the study was to assess the use of 3M porous polymer extraction discs (3M Empore sorbent filters) for detection of chemical permeation of protective clothing. Analysis of some commonly used solvents on 3M Empore sorbent filters was performed for methanol, acetone, trichloroethylene (TriCE), and toluene by solvent desorption and gas chromatography. All solvents exhibited >98 percent adsorption on the filters at a spiking level of 1.8 microL for each solvent. Solvent recovery for the system was calculated for each solvent, ranging from 72-94 percent (RSD < or = 4.0%) for all solvents over the spiking range 0.2-1.8 microL. The modified ASTM F739 method was used to determine breakthrough times for five protective glove materials (polyvinyl chloride, natural rubber, polymerized alkene, nitrile, and nitrile butyl rubber) using the model solvents as test chemicals. Breakthrough times for each type of protective glove were determined, and found to range from 36 s to 9 min for acetone, from 142 s to 52 min for methanol, from 18 s to 12 min for TriCE, and from 32 s to 28 min for toluene. The quantitative mass of the solvents on the filters at the time of breakthrough detection ranged from 150-159, 157-166, 570-581, and 371-382 microg/cm2 for acetone, methanol, TriCE, and toluene, respectively. The sorbent filter should find utility in collecting chemical permeation samples through protective gloves in both laboratory and field studies for quantitative analysis.