Garment Fabrics: Achieving Comfortable Protection

By Beth Hohl, Manager
Marketing and R&D
Kimberly-Clark Safety Division

When choosing a protective garment, the breathability and comfort quality of the fabric are critical factors in preventing heat stress, improving worker productivity and helping workers comply with apparel wearing guidelines. Fortunately, recent advances in fabric development mean that safety professionals no longer need to trade off between comfort and protection. Two widely used fabric technologies for protective garments are spunbond-meltblown-spunbond multilayer laminates and breathable barrier film laminates.

Nonwoven fabric constructions featuring outer layers made with spunbond polypropylene provide extra strength and cloth-like comfort. Meltblown middle layers composed of an intricate matrix of microfibers that act like a filter keep out many fine particulates and water-based liquids. Since these meltblown middle layers are breathable, both air and sweat vapor can pass through the garment to keep the skin cool, thus reducing the risk of heat stress in hot environments.

As an alternative, a microporous film middle layer provides repellency to many non-hazardous liquids, even when under pressure, such as when kneeling or flexing. This microporous film layer also provides resistance to many dry particulates, while allowing moisture and vapor (perspiration) to pass through for added comfort. Since the microporous film itself is usually not very durable or cloth-like, it is typically laminated to one or two nonwoven layers, forming a "sandwich" with the film in the middle.

Kimberly-Clark makes no warranty with respect to the suitability of garments or fabrics for specific applications. Users must determine suitability for specific use.