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Reducing the threat

WILMINGTON, DE — DuPont Company has long been considered an industry leader in the making of protective clothing, which safeguard emergency response teams from a number of hazards. The good news is t…

WILMINGTON, DE — DuPont Company has long been considered an industry leader in the making of protective clothing, which safeguard emergency response teams from a number of hazards. The good news is that mature industries like pulp and paper have done a good job of minimizing employees’ exposure to hazardous materials. “At the same time, employees in emerging industries such as semiconductors and biotechnology are at a greater risk to hazards,” said James P. Zeigler, a research manager at DuPont’s Nonwovens facility in Richmond, VA, and an expert in protective apparel fabric technology. These industries use more hazardous chemicals and biological pathogens in their processes. Consequently, companies like 3M plan to have an increased emphasis on bundling products and services like training to these high-tech sectors. As well, Zeigler noted that protective apparel has to take into account the potential for attacks on US sites by terrorists armed with weapons of mass destruction. “There have been biological terrorist incidents in the US,” he said. The FBI has identified five new threats of so-called toxic terrorism: industrial chemicals, biological toxins, radionuclides, biological pathogens and chemical warfare agents.

Circle Reader Service No. 1.