Will counteragents used in decontamination damage Responder® fabric?

There are many different kinds of counteragents. The most common type of counteragents used in the U.S. for decontamination is liquid detergent. The main brand used is Liquid Tide. Liquid detergents are basically used for two reasons:

1. They have good cold water solubility.
2. They will not damage films in the suit materials

It is possible that other counteragents could damage suit materials; although we do not know which other specific counteragents would damage the material. Consider not using "chemical" counteragents in decontamination, but to use detergents instead. A soft bristle brush should be used as hard bristles may scratch or damage the film.

AVOD EXOTHERMIC REACTIONS: Certain chemicals produce a large amount of heat when they react with water. If suits are heavily contaminated with a water-reactive chemical, there is a possibility that the suit may be damaged during field decontamination from the high reactive heat. The excess chemical may have to be removed with dry sand or non-reactive absorbent before water decontamination.  Go to top

May Responder® garments be stored by hanging?

Yes, a hanger is available. (Part number 99980.) However, most Responder? users store the Responder? suit in the original packing bag. Make certain the suit is completely dry before storing the garment.   Go to top

Do ultraviolet rays damage the material quality?

Yes, ultraviolet rays can damage most chemical suit materials. We recommend drying suits out of direct sunlight, or inside using fans. Some decontamination units are equipped with a drying "room". The suits are hung to dry with tubes inserted inside the arm and leg extensions to gently blow air into the suits for drying. Do not dry-clean these suits. Do no use hot air or a tumbling air dryer to dry this suit.  Go to top

After folding or wearing many times, the Responder® material develops lines or creases, which are white. Do these affect the condition and quality of the suit material?

Yes, these white lines indicate that the inner "tie layer" or "color layer" is starting to break down. The protective film may still be good, however, these lines are an indication that the suit is becoming "worn". When these white seams are prominent, very visible, and very white, we call this a "wear indicator", indicating that the suit is becoming worn, and if not contaminated, should be used for training only.  Go to top

An SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) lasts only 40 minutes. Is it necessary for the user to change to a new Responder® suit when changing SCBA tanks?

No, this is usually not necessary. Normally, the person wearing the suit will come out of the spill area ('hot zone'), and then will be "decontaminated" while still in the suit (by washing off the suit) in order to remove the suit safely. Then the person will sit down, and the suit is removed just to the waist, enabling the SCBA tank to be changed. After the person is rested and received medical clearance; the tank is changed. The user will then put his arms back into the suit, and the suit will be zipped completely. He is now ready to return to the spill area ('hot zone').

NOTE: It is important to "decontaminate" (wash) the suit before removing the suit even halfway for changing the SCBA tanks.  Go to top

It is not advisable to train in the actual emergency suits; does DuPont offer a training suit?

Yes, DuPont offers a variety of training suits:

• Responder? Training Suit: 41555 - Front Entry, Expanded Back (41556 - rear entry). This training suit is low cost, and is made to simulate situations wearing actual a Responder? suit. It is made of Responder? material, but has a cloth zipper, PVC gloves, and has inexpensive components; also, it is NOT gas tight, is NOT pressure tested, and DOES NOT have a serial number.
• PVC Training Suit: 30550 - Front Entry, expanded back (30551 - rear entry) This training suit is made of durable PVC to simulate wearing actual, heavy-weight, reusable chemical suits such as CPE, Viton?, Butyl, etc. It is designed for multiple training uses, and can handle daily use at hazmat training facilities.
• Commander? EX Training Suit - Expanded Back - Front Entry TKX113; Rear entry TKX112 ? This training suit offers an economical and effective option for Level A training. Commander EX style training suits are made of our popular Tychem? TK materials and features an extra wide visor made of 20-mil PVC, providing a panoramic view. All seams are stitched with nylon thread. Butyl gloves are sewn directly on the suit sleeve. Sock boots and boot flaps are made from the base material. The 48" cloth zipper enables storm flap assembly. An internal waist belt provides easier donning of the garment. Each garment is prominently labeled "TRAINING SUIT, DO NOT USE IN HAZARDOUS ENVIROMENTS". Sizes L-4XL
• Cordura? Fully Encapsulated Training Suit : Expanded Back - Front Entry 80110, Rear Entry 80111, Commander? style training suits are made of durable fabric woven from 1000 denier DuPont? Cordura? Nylon yarn. Face shield is removable for laundering. Sizes S-4XL. Color may vary.
• System CPF? 1 Training Suit - Lightweight, economical suits for short-term training situations.

See section on training suits for additional information.  Go to top

What is the heat resistance of Responder® material?

Protective clothing is used under a variety of conditions. Garments can be exposed to a range of ambient temperatures as well as variations in the temperatures of the challenge chemical. No comprehensive method or standard currently exists to establish a temperature service range for a chemical suit or material. An estimated temperature service range for Responder? material and seams: -85? F (-60? C) to 200? F (93? C).

NOTE: The Responder? material offers little thermal protection to the user. The temperature range for the material and seams is much higher than the temperatures that the human skin can withstand without injury. Skin temperatures of 28? F (-2? C) can result in frostbite. Temperatures in excess of 115? F (46? C) will result in first-degree burns.

CAUTION: Do not use for fire protection. Avoid open flame or intense heat. Contact DuPont for further information regarding "Temperature Service Range".  Go to top

Will the Responder® material melt from contact with a hot chemical?

This depends on the temperature of the chemical. Refer to question number 7.   Go to top

What is the material of Responder®? What is the material made of?

Responder? is a multi-layer film extrusion laminated on one side to a polypropylene non-woven substrate with another multi-layer film extrusion laminated to the opposite side.   Go to top

How many times may the Responder® suits be used?

Responder? suits may sometimes be worn several times, if not contaminated or damaged. Reuse of a suit is totally at the discretion of the user. Limited-use chemical protective suits are designed to be used for only one exposure to a chemical. Before considering reuse, all gas protective suits should pass a visual inspection, pressure test and be verified free of contamination.   Go to top

May the Responder® suits be incinerated?

The recommended method of disposal is burial in a landfill in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. If suit is known to be contaminated, additional regulations could apply. Responder? suits may be incinerated. A mixture of smoke and some hydrogen chloride fumes are emitted when burned. Discarded Responder? suits should be mutilated to prevent unauthorized reuse.   Go to top

How will Responder® hold up against abrasion or rough usage?

As with all film laminate fabrics, excessive abrasions could damage or limit the useful life. Film laminate fabrics are not as strong as elastomeric or thermoplastic fabrics such as PVC or butyl; however, film laminate fabrics offer much greater chemical protection and are much less expensive.  Go to top

May the Responder® suits be repaired?

DuPont limited-use suits are not designed to be repaired. The suits are inexpensive, and being made from film laminates, are not designed for long-term, repeated wear.

DuPont recognizes that in some instances minor repairs may be necessary on a new suit or a suit worn, but not contaminated. In these cases, contact DuPont Protective Apparel Customer Service for information and costs of associated with such repairs. DuPont will accept no suit returns without prior arrangement and documentation.   Go to top

What chemicals should Responder® not be used to protect against?

Special caution should be used when encountering the following chemicals while wearing a Responder? garment: Bromine Liquid: 18 minutes Chloroacetic Acid (99%, 65?C) - 60 minutes Nitrogen Tetroxide - 220 minutes Sulfur Trioxide (60? C) ? 90 minutes Thionyl Chloride ? 45 minutes Tri Bromo Phenol (110?C) - >15 minutes In all of these situations Responder? may still be used, keeping in mind the amount of time until breakthrough after chemical splash.   Go to top

Do the Responder® suits have attached boots? If not, why?

No, Responder? suits do not have attached boots. Instead, integral ?sock boots? are attached to the legs of the suit. These 'sock boots' serve a number of purposes:

1. Protects the wearer's foot in case of chemical permeation through the boots - the Responder? fabric offers much higher chemical protection than boot materials.
2. Allows each individual wearer to use the size of boot that best fits, and the type of boot that is best for the particular situation.
3. Is more economical. There are additional costs added for attaching boots.
4. If the boots are damaged and/or contaminated, and the suit is not, then the suit may be easily reused, without cutting off and re-attaching boots.

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Who uses Responder® suits?

Responder? suits are ideal for end-users who:

1. Have an occasional need for chemical protection.
2. Have a need for a wide range of chemical protection.
3. Do not have proper decontamination equipment.
4. Have a limited budget.
5. Need a lightweight, easy-to-maintain suit.
6. Are exposed to extremely toxic chemicals and cannot conduct adequate decontamination procedures.

Responder? suits offer the highest level of chemical protection available, and because of this, they are ideal for applications such as chemical emergencies, cleanup and handling of highly toxic chemicals, maintenance situations involving highly toxic chemicals, to keep on site in case of a chemical emergency response, etc.  Go to top

Will Responder® suits protect against radiation?

Responder? suits will not protect against ionizing radiation. A heavy shielding material, such as lead, is required to provide protection from ionizing radiation. Protective clothing is typically worn in nuclear applications for protection against radioactive contaminated particles and liquids. Responder? suits will serve as a barrier to radioactive particles, liquids and gases. NuFab?, Tyvek?, NexGen? or Pro/Shield? 2 garments will also provide adequate barrier against radioactive particle contamination; garments made of CPF? 1, CPF? 2 or Tyvek? QC will provide barrier protection against radioactive liquid contamination.  Go to top

Sometimes the pass through can damage the material when folded into the suits for storage. What steps can be taken to eliminate this?

The best solution is to wrap the pass through in bubble wrap, or other protective wrap, or inserting into a piece of foam, when storing. All suits ordered with a pass through are shipped with the pass through wrapped in bubble wrap and tape for protection during shipment.  Go to top

What is a flash fire?

A chemical 'flash fire' is the combustion or burning of flammable vapors or gases; typically occurring in enclosed or confined spaces. A flash fire is the ignition of a gas in the air generating radiant heat energy. Flash fires generate extreme temperatures 1200 - 1500?F (649-816?C) for a short period of time (5-10 seconds).   Go to top

Sometimes the zipper on Responder® suits is difficult to zip. What can be used to lubricate the zipper?

If the zipper is difficult to operate, it can be lubricated lightly on the outer and inner components with paraffin (wax). Only use paraffin wax. After lubrication, the zipper should be closed and opened a number of times to assure that all excess lubricant has been removed.   Go to top

Is it possible to use one single standard pass-through for both breathing air (connected to the respirator inside) and cooling air (connected to the air circulation system inside)?

This is possible, although DuPont suggests that two pass throughs be used. The use of one single pass through for both applications it is not recommended for several reasons:

1. If there is a problem with the airline, then there is no backup. (i.e.: if two airlines were used, and one became blocked or contaminated, then the other would be available in an emergency).
2. Breathing air is usually of a higher quality, and thus more expensive to use. It is often not practical to use breathing air to also cool the suit.

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What is the shelf life of Responder®?

DuPont™ Tychem? garments contain materials, including gloves, for which there is no specific shelf life data available. It is suggested that garments be labeled and retired to "Training Use Only" after five years. Garments may be used as long as they pass the ASTM F1052-97 pressure test and pass a full visual inspection. Uncontaminated garments that do no pass a pressure test or fail a visual inspection should be retired and labeled "For Training Use Only" or be discarded.   Go to top