Overview
EN ISO 13982-2:2004 - "Protective clothing for use against solid particulates - Part 2" specifies a laboratory test method for determining inward leakage of aerosols of fine particles into chemical protective suits. The procedure quantifies the barrier efficiency of suits against dry, fine dusts by measuring how much aerosol penetrates into the garment under controlled exercise and environmental conditions. The test uses a sodium chloride (NaCl) aerosol (mass-median aerodynamic diameter ≈ 0.6 µm) and flame photometry to determine internal and challenge concentrations.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope: Measurement of inward leakage for chemical protective clothing (type 5 suits) exposed to dry, fine particulate aerosols.
- Test principle: Generate a standard NaCl aerosol in a test chamber; a human test subject wears the suit and performs a sequence of exercises while internal aerosol concentrations are sampled and compared to the chamber (challenge) concentration.
- Apparatus: aerosol generator, test chamber (per EN 136 references), one or two flame photometers, adjustable sampling pump and tubing, and a level treadmill installed inside the chamber.
- Aerosol and sampling:
- Test aerosol: NaCl particles with a defined particle-size distribution (mean ~0.6 µm).
- Sampling flow rate from inside the suit: (2 ± 0.5) l/min, kept stable within ±0.2 l/min.
- Sampling probes: three body probe locations near the right chest, back at waist, and lateral knee; one probe samples chamber challenge concentration.
- Clean air is fed back into the suit at the same rate as extracted sample air to avoid under-pressure-induced leakage.
- Test exercises: Predetermined sequence including standing and walking on a treadmill (treadmill speed specified as (5 ± 0.5) km/h).
- Calculations and reporting: inward leakage is computed per sampling position, per exercise, per suit and averaged over subjects/exercises; results are reported following the standard’s formulas and aggregates.
Applications and users
- Who uses it: PPE manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, compliance/certification bodies, occupational hygiene teams, R&D engineers and procurement specialists.
- Practical uses:
- Assessing and comparing barrier performance of protective suits against airborne dusts.
- Supporting type-testing and quality control of chemical protective clothing (type 5).
- Informing PPE selection for industrial and emergency-response scenarios involving fine particulate hazards.
- Providing data for conformity assessment under EU directives (see informative annex ZA relating to Directive 89/686/EEC).
Related standards
- EN ISO 13982-1 (performance requirements for type 5 protective clothing)
- EN 136 (referenced for chamber and photometer arrangements)
- ISO/TR 11610 (vocabulary for protective clothing)
Keywords: EN ISO 13982-2:2004, inward leakage, protective clothing, aerosols, fine particles, sodium chloride aerosol, test method, type 5 suits, flame photometer, barrier efficiency.