Determination of alkylamine permeation through protective gloves using aliphatic amine pads

Abstract

A quantitative study of alkylamine permeation through a glove material using Permea-Tec aliphatic amine pads, used for the detection of chemical breakthrough of protective clothing, was performed for triethylamine following a microwave-extraction process and gas chromatographic analysis. Triethylamine exhibited >99% adsorption on the pads at a spiking level of 729 ng (1.0 ml). Triethylamine showed recoveries from 63 to 90% (RSD ≤5%) over the range 0.2–1.0 ml (146–729 ng) applied to pads. The ASTM F739 standard and direct permeability testing procedures were used to determine breakthrough times for five protective glove materials using triethylamine as a challenge chemical. Breakthrough times for six protective gloves were determined ranging from 40 s to >4 h. The quantitative concentration of triethylamine on the pads following permeation through the gloves was also determined, ranging from 101 to 103 ng cm^–2 (382–386 ng per pad).