The permeation by liquefied coal of gloves used in coal liquefaction pilot plants.
The protective capabilities of PVC, natural rubber and milled nitrile rubber gloves currently used in coal liquefaction pilot plants were assessed and the effectiveness of a laundering method was evaluated. The breakthrough times and cumulative permeation for exposure to toluene and to liquefied coal were determined by measurement of radiolabeled phenol tracer in the aqueous receiving medium. Breakthrough times, normalized by division by the square of the material thickness, agreed with the findings of other studies. On exposure to liquefied coal, the nitrile laboratory glove resisted breakthrough the longest (between 12 and 24 hours), although it was the thinnest material tested. Breakthrough times for the other gloves ranged from 2.75 to 6.5 hours with the times for the natural rubber glove materials intermediate to the two PVC glove materials tested. However, when normalized for thickness, both PVC materials were more resistant to breakthrough than rubber. It was found that the laundering method did not completely decontaminate samples of PVC glove material pre-exposed to liquefied coal for 24 hours under laboratory conditions.
D003031:Coal; D010539:Permeability; D010636:Phenols; D011481:Protective Clothing; D014050:Toluene
D003031:Coal; D010636:Phenols; D014050:Toluene