Modeling organic solvents permeation through protective gloves.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Organic solvent exposure poses risks to workers.
• Chemical protective gloves are essential for mitigating exposure.
• Accurate modeling of solvent permeation through gloves is crucial for safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally determine diffusion coefficients of benzene, toluene, and styrene through nitrile and Neoprene gloves.
• To evaluate the suitability of various models for estimating diffusion coefficients.
• To simulate permeation concentrations using Fick's second law and compare with experimental data.

Main Methods:

• Permeation experiments conducted using the ASTM F-739 standard test method.
• Diffusion coefficients estimated using established literature models.
• One-dimensional diffusion equation based on Fick's second law applied for simulation.

Main Results:

• Experimental permeation data for benzene, toluene, and styrene through nitrile and Neoprene gloves were obtained.
• Diffusion coefficients were estimated using multiple models.
• Simulations revealed that solvent solubility from immersion tests is an inappropriate boundary condition for modeling permeation.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights limitations in using simple solubility models for predicting organic solvent permeation.
• Accurate modeling requires refined boundary conditions beyond basic solubility.
• Findings will help industrial hygienists better assess chemical exposure risks for workers using protective gloves.