What Does
Microporous Protection Mean?
Microporous protection refers to protection provided by personal protective equipment (PPE) made with microporous material.
Microporous material is made with pore sizes of less than 2 nanometers (nm) in diameter, which is too small for most particles or liquids to move through. This makes microporous material excellent for repelling harmful liquid substances (such as chemical splashes) and preventing any amount of hazardous particles (e.g. dusts) from moving through it.
Safeopedia Explains Microporous Protection
Because gases may move across it, microporous material can have a high moisture vapor transmission rate, which allows it to be comfortable for wearers relative to many alternative materials used for similar protective purposes.
One of the primary uses of microporous material is for garments that provide laboratory and medical workers with protection against infectious agents. It is often used as part of garments that meet the EN 14126 standard for protection against biological material.
Microporous garments may also be used to protect workers from contamination by harmful dusts and fibers, including radioactive dusts and asbestos fibers. Because its structure prevents non-gaseous material from crossing through it in either direction, microporous coveralls are useful in cleanroom and sterile environment work where it is important to prevent materials associated with the worker from entering the larger environment.