Transitioning away from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which offer water- and oil-repelling properties on the outer shells of firefighter turnout gear, could bring potential performance tradeoffs, according to a new study from North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n\n\n
The study showed that turnout gear without PFAS outer shell coatings were not oil-repellent, posing a potential flammability hazard to firefighters if exposed to oil and flame, said Bryan Ormond<\/a>, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science<\/a> at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the research<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cAll oil repellents can also repel water, but all water repellents don\u2019t necessarily repel oil,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cDiesel fuel is really difficult to repel, as is hydraulic fluid; in our testing, PFAS-treated materials repel both. In our tests, turnout gear without PFAS repelled water but not oil or hydraulic fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cFurther, oils seem to spread out even more on the PFAS-free gear, potentially increasing the hazard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n PFAS chemicals \u2013 known as forever chemicals because of their environmental persistence \u2013 are used in food packaging, cookware and cosmetics, among other uses, but have recently been implicated in higher risks of cancer, higher cholesterol levels and compromised immune systems in humans. In response, firefighters have sought alternative chemical compounds \u2013 like the hydrocarbon wax coating used in the study \u2013 on turnout gear to repel water and oils.<\/p>\n\n\n Besides testing the oil- and water-repelling properties of PFAS-treated and PFAS-free outer garments, the NC State researchers also compared how the outer shells aged in job-related exposures like weathering, high heat and repeated laundering, and whether the garments remained durable and withstood tears and rips.<\/p>\n\n\n The study showed that PFAS-treated and PFAS-free outer shells performed similarly after exposure to UV rays and various levels of heat and moisture, as well as passes through heating equipment \u2013 similar to a pizza oven \u2013 and through washing machines.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cLaundering the gear is actually very damaging to turnout gear because of the washing machine\u2019s agitation and cleaning agents used,\u201d Ormond said.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cWe also performed chemical analyses to see what\u2019s happening during the weathering process,\u201d said Nur Mazumder, an NC State doctoral student in fiber and polymer science<\/a> and lead author of the paper. \u201cAre we losing the PFAS chemistries, the PFAS-free chemistries or both when we age the garments? It turns out that we lost significant amounts of both of these finishes after the aging tests.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Both types of garments performed similarly when tested for strength against tearing the outer shell fabric. The researchers say the PFAS and PFAS-free coatings didn\u2019t seem to affect this attribute.<\/p>\n\n\n Ormond said that future work will explore how much oil repellency is needed by firefighters out in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cEven with PFAS treatment, you see a difference between a splash of fluid and soaked-in fluid,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cFor all of its benefits, PFAS-treated gear, when soaked, is dangerous to firefighters. So we need to really ask \u2018What do firefighters need?\u2019 If you\u2019re not experiencing this need for oil repellency, there\u2019s no worry about switching to non-PFAS gear. But firefighters need to know the non-PFAS gear will absorb oil, regardless of what those oils are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n Andrew Hall, another NC State doctoral student in fiber and polymer science and co-author on the paper, is also testing dermal absorption, or taking the aged outer shell materials and placing them on a skin surrogate for a day or two. Are outer shell chemicals absorbed in the skin surrogate after these admittedly extreme exposure durations?<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cFirefighting as a job is classified as a carcinogen and it shouldn\u2019t be,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cHow do we make better gear for them? How do we come up with better finishes and strategies for them?<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cThese aren\u2019t just fabrics,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cThey are highly engineered pieces of material that aren\u2019t easily replaced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n The paper appears in the Journal of Industrial Textiles<\/em>. Funding for the research came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency\u2019s Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program.<\/p>\n\n\n -kulikowski-<\/p>\n\n\n Note to editors<\/strong>: The abstract of the paper follows.<\/p>\n\n\n Toward the future of firefighter gear: Assessing fluorinated and non- fluorinated outer shells following simulated on-the-job exposures<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Authors: Nur-Us-Shafa Mazumder, Jingtian Lu, Andrew Stephen Hall, Arash Kasebi, Arjunsing Girase and R. Bryan Ormond, North Carolina State University; Farzaneh Masoud, Illinois Fire Service Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign; Jeffrey O. Stull, International Personnel Protection Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n Published: Nov. 30 in Journal of Industrial Textiles<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n DOI: 10.1177\/15280837231217401<\/p>\n\n\n Abstract<\/strong>: In 2022, the occupation of firefighting was categorized as a \u201cGroup 1\u201d carcinogen, meaning it is known to be carcinogenic to humans. The personal protective equipment that structural firefighters wear is designed to safeguard them from thermal, physical, and chemical hazards while maintaining thermo-physiological comfort. Typically, the outer layer of structural turnout gear is finished with a durable water and oil-repellent (DWR) coating based on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that helps limit exposure to water and hazardous liquids. The PFAS-based aqueous emulsion typically used in DWR finishes is highly persistent and can cause various health problems if absorbed into the body through ingestion, inhalation, and\/or dermal absorption. In response, the U.S. Fire Service has begun using non-PFAS water repellants in firefighter turnout gear. This study aims to evaluate the performance of both traditional PFAS-based and alternative non-PFAS outer shell materials. The study involved exposing both PFAS-based and non-PFAS DWR outer shell materials in turnout composites to simulated job exposures (i.e., weathering, thermal exposure, and laundering) that artificially aged the materials. After exposures, samples were evaluated for repellency, durability, thermal protection, and surface chemistry analysis to determine any potential performance trade-offs that may exist. Non-PFAS outer shell fabrics were found not to be diesel\/oil-repellent, posing a potential flammability hazard if exposed to diesel and subsequent flame on an emergency response. Both PFAS-based and non-PFAS sets of fabrics performed similarly in terms of thermal protective performance, tearing strength, and water repellency. The surface analysis suggests that both PFAS and non-PFAS chemistries can degrade and shed from fabrics during the aging process. The study indicates that firefighters should be educated and trained regarding the potential performance trade-offs, such as oil absorption and flammability concerns when transitioning to non-PFAS outer shell materials.<\/p>\n This post was originally published<\/a> in NC State News.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"\n Transitioning away from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which offer water- and oil-repelling properties on the outer shells of firefighter turnout gear, could bring potential performance tradeoffs, according to a new study from North Carolina State University.<\/p>\n\n\n The study showed that turnout gear without PFAS outer shell coatings were not oil-repellent, posing a potential flammability hazard to firefighters if exposed to oil and flame, said Bryan Ormond<\/a>, assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science<\/a> at NC State and corresponding author of a paper describing the research<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cAll oil repellents can also repel water, but all water repellents don\u2019t necessarily repel oil,\u201d Ormond said. \u201cDiesel fuel is really difficult to repel, as is hydraulic fluid; in our testing, PFAS-treated materials repel both. In our tests, turnout gear without PFAS repelled water but not oil or hydraulic fluid.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cFurther, oils seem to spread out even more on the PFAS-free gear, potentially increasing the hazard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n PFAS chemicals \u2013 known as forever chemicals because of their environmental persistence \u2013 are used in food packaging, cookware and cosmetics, among other uses, but have recently been implicated in higher risks of cancer, higher cholesterol levels and compromised immune systems in humans. In response, firefighters have sought alternative chemical compounds \u2013 like the hydrocarbon wax coating used in the study \u2013 on turnout gear to repel water and oils.<\/p>\n\n\n Besides testing the oil- and water-repelling properties of PFAS-treated and PFAS-free outer garments, the NC State researchers also compared how the outer shells aged in job-related exposures like weathering, high heat and repeated laundering, and whether the garments remained durable and withstood tears and rips.<\/p>\n\n\n The study showed that PFAS-treated and PFAS-free outer shells performed similarly after exposure to UV rays and various levels of heat and moisture, as well as passes through heating equipment \u2013 similar to a pizza oven \u2013 and through washing machines.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cLaundering the gear is actually very damaging to turnout gear because of the washing machine\u2019s agitation and cleaning agents used,\u201d Ormond said.<\/p>\n\n\n