When it comes to protecting workers handling oil, fuels and other hazardous substances, manufacturers of protective clothing such as rubber boots, gloves and technical fabrics for protective suits depend upon reliably oil-resistant NBR rubber grades such as Perbunan®, Krynac® and Baymod® N or SBR rubber such as Krylene® or Krynol®. The soles of firefighting, construction and safety boots are often made from SBR rubber or the XNBR rubber Krynac® X, which is resistant to oil, acids and alkalis as well as being nonslip and abrasion-resistant.

Technical fabrics for protective clothing generally incorporate highly resistant media-tight barrier layers made from a combination of elastomeric composite materials and an integral ultra-thin polymer layer. This protects wearers of suits made from such material from hazardous substances such as chlorine, chlorinated hydrocarbons or ammonia and is resistant to acids, alkalis and aggressive chemicals.

The flexible protective layer often contains a butyl or NBR rubber (Krynac®, Perbunan®, Baymod® N). Worn with protective gloves and boots made from NBR or SBR rubber, this whole-body protective clothing is suitable for both civil and military use. Since Baypren® too is highly resistant to chemicals, oil and sunlight, it is often used to make chemical-resistant protective gloves.

Thermal insulation for divers

When it comes to thermal insulation in cold water, chlorobutadiene rubber (CR) such as Baypren® is the number one choice. The foamed material contains countless tiny, evenly distributed air bubbles, which give it outstanding thermal insulation properties. For that reason CR is highly rated by manufacturers of wetsuits for water sports – for divers, surfers and canoeists. Depending on the degree of thermal insulation required, the material used for the suits is between 2.5 and eight millimetres thick. The thicker material is more insulating but has less stretch and more buoyancy. Both sides of the rubber are normally coated with fabric, which has a closed surface and is less vulnerable to damage. Single-sided coated material is mainly used for sealing strips inside the protec-Sharptive clothing. Wetsuits made from fully uncoated rubber are also available. They are more vulnerable to damage but are very flexible. Suits made from this type of material therefore fit more closely to the skin, keeping out water more effectively and allowing much more freedom of movement than fabric-coated material.