Development of Small-Scale Testing for the Particle Penetration of Personal Protective Equipment Using a Standardised Combustion from a Cone Calorimeter

Several studies have established a connection between the firefighter occupation and the elevated chance of cancer and illnesses attributed to the harsh environment and exposure to airborne combustion products. This especially concerns airborne particles small enough to penetrate protective garments and human skin. These particles also often contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens. When developing new textiles for personal protective equipment (PPE), it is therefore important to document their particle and PAH penetration-blocking ability. Despite this, currently, no relevant, standardised and cost-efficient test method exists. This study introduces a novel method specifically designed for screening PPE textiles, filling critical gaps in available test methods, to facilitate future improved understanding of the protective ability of firefighter garments in preventing carcinogen exposure. In the proposed method, the PPE textiles are exposed to fire smoke from burning PVC plastic, polyurethane foam, and spruce wood in a standardised setup using the cone calorimeter. The smoke passes through an exposure tunnel with a PPE textile mounted on it while particle concentration, PAH content and temperatures are systematically measured on each side of the textile. The method shows promising results for the generation of "standardised" smoke and for documenting particle penetration through PPE textiles. Some remaining challenges related to repeatability and the costs involved are discussed.

Keywords: Firefighter exposure, Firefighter health, Experimental, Test method, Development.