Media Contact: Patricia Bailey
News Service
(530) 752-9843
pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
MARCH 23, 1999
(University of California, Davis) —Finding that sometimes
it takes a chemical to beat a chemical, UC Davis researchers
have developed chemically treated clothing that detoxifies pesticides
to which farm workers and even home gardeners are exposed. Because
past studies have shown that 97 percent of pesticides entering
the body pass through the skin, workers exposed to high levels
of pesticides must wear clothing made of synthetic materials
that block out the pesticides. But because those materials don't "breathe," they
are uncomfortable to wear while doing vigorous agricultural work.
And once contaminated, they must be disposed of, which is costly
and poses a secondary environmental problem.
As an alternative,
the UC Davis researchers treated cotton/polyester fabric with
a chemical called hydantoin, which breaks down agricultural pesticides known as carbamates
into small, harmless fragments. The garment can then be washed with chlorine bleach,
which reactivates the hydantoin for further protective use. "Our goal is not
to replace existing protective clothing, but to come up with comfortable, economical
clothing that will protect workers who have lower but chronic exposure to pesticides," explained
Louise Ko, a UC Davis graduate student working with Gang Sun, an assistant professor
of textiles and clothing. Laboratory tests showed that the treated fabrics took less
than five minutes to degrade some carbamate pesticides by as much as 99 percent.
The technique has not yet been tested on organophosphates, which include many agricultural
pesticides now being used.
Ko said the idea was a spin-off from related work in Gang
Sun's laboratory in which anti-bacterial chemicals were placed in fabric for use
in surgical gowns for health professionals and patients.
She presents her findings today at the annual meeting
of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, Calif.
