Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
lar components of the pesticide formulation. A possible consequence of
chemical attack is that the glove will no longer protect the worker's hands and
lower arms from the pesticide.
Parameters for determining the chemical resistance and barrier effective-
ness of glove materials to chemicals were discussed above. Many decades of
testing have shown that:
•
No one glove material is a barrier to all chemicals.
•
Any given chemical may severely attack one glove material and not
affect another material.
•
Certain chemicals or combinations thereof have severe effects on all
commonly available glove materials.
The effectiveness of gloves as chemical barriers is the subject of the re-
mainder of this subsection. However, before beginning the discussion, it is
important to note that chemical resistance is also fundamental to the issue of
decontamination. Clothing materials that are not resistant to a chemical will
absorb the chemical, making decontamination more difficult. Decontamina-
tion will then require removal of an absorbed as well as surface chemical.
2.
Pesticide Formulation Types
Pesticide formulations are designed to optimize the cost, handling, appli-
cation, and effectiveness of the active ingredient. Some fumigants are used in
undiluted form (commonly referred to as "neat"), whereas some herbicide for-
mulations may have 15 to 20 ingredients in addition to the active ingredient.
The other ingredients include diluents, surfactants, stabilizers, thickeners, solid
substrates, solvents, and tackifiers. The resulting formulations are typically
characterized as one of the following types:
•
aqueous solutions and concentrates
•
emulsifiable concentrates
•
wettable powders
•
dry flowables (water dispersible granules)
•
granules
•
others—including controlled release, dusts, and aerosols.
From the perspective of protective clothing selection and chemical resis-
tance, the pesticide formulation types may be more generally categorized as:
•
solids
•
solutions and dispersions that contain an organic solvent
