Organic solvents permeation through protective nitrile gloves

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Nitrile gloves are common personal protective equipment against chemical exposure.
• Understanding solvent permeation is crucial for effective workplace safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally determine effective diffusion coefficients for organic solvents through nitrile gloves.
• To validate a diffusion model for simulating solvent permeation.
• To establish a relationship between molecular weight and permeation rates.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F-739 test cell method for permeation studies.
• Experimentally measured diffusion coefficients for benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, and styrene.
• Employed a transient mass diffusion equation to model solvent concentration profiles.

Main Results:

• Effective diffusion coefficients (x10(-6)cm(2)/s) were: benzene (0.61+/-0.02), toluene (0.50+/-0.06), ethyl benzene (0.27+/-0.02), xylene (0.31+/-0.03), and styrene (0.21+/-0.03).
• The diffusion coefficients showed an inverse correlation with the molecular weight of the organic solvents.
• The transient mass diffusion model accurately simulated observed concentration profiles.

Conclusions:

• The determined diffusion coefficients provide valuable data for assessing nitrile glove effectiveness.
• Findings can inform risk assessments and improve worker protection strategies against organic solvent exposure.
• The inverse correlation with molecular weight offers a predictive tool for solvent permeation behavior.