As experts in assessing and understanding safety and protection needs in multi-hazard chemical protection environments, the Ansell team helps customers select the most appropriate gloves and protective suits using a variety of available tools. One such tool is AnsellGUARDIAN® Partner, where our team of chemists and technical experts can evaluate the breakthrough and degradation times of hand and body protection articles in relation to different mixed or pure chemicals. Ultimately you can be assured that all workers are well protected and well equipped in a safer, more secure and incident-free work environment.

The type of protection required depends largely on the application, all risks must be taken into account when working with hazardous chemical agents on the body and hands. The relative degree of harm varies depending on the chemical and the extent of exposure if a chemical hazard cannot be completely eliminated or the product substituted with a non-hazardous one then PPE, e.g. body and hand protection are considered the last line of defense. There are more than 144 million chemicals registered worldwide and it is estimated that 15,000 new chemicals are produced every day.

We will deal with three fundamental notions, which are: permeability, degradation and penetration.

1. Permeability is the movement of a chemical through a material at the molecular level. It is important to remember that this process is not necessarily visible and the material may appear unaltered.
2. Degradation is the physical change in one or more properties of a PPE material due to contact with chemical substances. Obvious indicators are discoloration, burnt or cracked gloves.
3. Penetration is the movement of a chemical through pores and spaces in seams. Holes or imperfections in a barrier material occur when the material is defective or as a result of degradation.