Owing to recent chemical protection advances in industry, science and innovation company DuPont de Nemours South Africa launched its new Tyvek 800 J and Tychem 4000 S coveralls last month.

The new coveralls are additions to DuPont’s chemical protection Tyvek and Tychem ranges and have been commercially available since last month.

“While the Tyvek range of protective suits traditionally offers chemical and particle protection, the range now also features liquid tightness,” DuPont senior business development leader Valérie Pierret tells Engineering News.

She notes that the new Tyvek 800 J coverall is ideal for use in humid applications, while providing chemical, oil and liquid protection, making it suitable for use in remediation industries, maintenance, industrial cleaning, the food industry, as well as petrochemicals installations.

While protective garments can sometimes be associated with heat stress during work in these industries, owing to the impermeability of the fabric to air and water, DuPont Protection Technologies division Europe, Middle East and Africa product leader Chloe Caux-Wetherell highlights that the Tyvek 800 J is robust and permeable to air and water, which makes it more comfortable.

Nevertheless, the coverall provides a barrier against low-concentration, water-based chemicals and small-sized hazardous particles; it protects wearers from biological hazards according to the EN 14126 specifications and from electrostatic discharge, as it is antistatic, according to the EN 1149-5 specifications. It also protects wearers from radioactive contamination according to EN 1073-2 specifications.

Other ergonomic design features include a chin flap for increased liquid protection, a closer fit for when wearing a face mask, distinct orange taping of the garment seams for protection and worker visibility, thumb loops that prevent the sleeves from riding up and elasticised openings.

Tychem 4000 S
The Tychem 4000 S product is positioned between the Tychem C and Tychem F chemical protective suits, Pierret says.