Abstract:
A protective garment for nuclear environments is formed of a tri-laminate 30/30/30 water resistant barrier fabric. The garment can be incinerated so as to provide a disposable, one time use coverall particularly adapted for use in nuclear/radioactive environments. The coverall provides integrated elements for water resistant (i.e., splashproof), breathable, comfortable contamination protection. It is adapted for use with various types of breathing apparatuses, included external air lines, back-mounted self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA), and emergency breathing bottles or apparatuses. Air tanks and bottles are covered by the garment and thus do not need to be decontaminated. The garment also includes elements for use with air sampling devices and/or dosimetry equipment that are often worn by such workers.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The present invention relates to disposable protective clothing for use in nuclear/radioactive environments. 
     Prior art protective clothing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,901,370, 4,943,475, 5,626,947, 6,460,198, 6,792,625, and 7,203,974. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,370 discloses a garment for protection against environmental contamination. The garment is formed of a laminate and includes a built-in hood with a transparent window and filtered openings for ingress of breathing air. A mouthpiece and conduit with a check valve are used for exhalation so as to avoid the use of an external air supply. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,475 discloses a multilayer composite protective fabric material and its use in protective clothing. The composite fabric material includes a fabric support layer and a composite permselective membrane layer that is permeable to water vapor but impermeable to toxic organic vapors. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,947 discloses composite chemical barrier films and fabrics that are useful in protective garments. The composite barrier material is made by laminating a barrier film to a flexible substrate using a thermoplastic resin and topcoating the barrier film with a similar or dissimilar thermoplastic resin to allow fabric seaming when the fabric is fabricated into a protective garment. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,198 discloses a garment system for healthcare providers which includes pants, a shirt, and a hood that provides a protective barrier against infectious materials in body fluids. The garment is adapted for use in field operating and/or uniformed organizations by the inclusion of details such as pockets and a protective hood. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,792,625 discloses protective suit for protection against harmful chemical and biological substances. The suit includes an outer layer and a liner which is disposed underneath the outer layer and is provided with a barrier layer against chemical and biological substances. The protective suit is configured as a coverall, the barrier layer which has been incorporated into the liner being a membrane which is surrounded on both sides by a protective layer each. The suit includes an integrated hood and socks. The hood uses a central zipper and sewn seams are taped with a three layer barrier. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 7,203,974 discloses scrubs or similar protective garments that are limited reusable products. The products may be laundered and reused after laundering a number of times. Although the limited reusable products contain water-soluble material, the limited reusable products maintain structural integrity during multiple washing cycles so that the product may be reused between washing cycles. The limited reusable products release contaminants during the washing process. One embodiment discloses a launderable coverall with 11 pockets for dosimetry use. 
     What would be desirable is a disposable garment for universal application in the nuclear industry for both indoor and outdoor applications that provides integrated elements for breathable, water resistant, comfortable contamination protection for use with external air hoses, a back-mounted self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), an emergency breathing apparatus (e.g., SKA-PAK®), air sampling equipment and/or dosimetry equipment. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Embodiments disclosed herein provide a disposable, one time use coverall particularly adapted for use in nuclear/radioactive environments. The coverall is a disposable garment that can be incinerated for disposal. The garment provides integrated elements for water resistant (i.e., splashproof), breathable, comfortable contamination protection for use with various types of breathing apparatuses, included external air lines, back-mounted self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA), and emergency breathing bottles or apparatuses (e.g., SKA-PAK®). The garment also includes elements for use with air sampling devices and/or dosimetry equipment that are often worn by such workers. 
     In an embodiment, the coverall is a made of a tri-laminate 30/30/30 water resistant fabric which can be fabricated in various colors. The tri-laminate 30/30/30 fabric comprises 30 grams per square meter of spunbond polypropylene, 30 grams per square meter of microporous film and 30 grams per square meter of spunbond polypropylene that are laminated together to produce a breathable, water resistant fabric. The coverall includes a zipper front, lock stitch/ultrasonically welded seams, and an expanded back for a self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). The coverall has an attached draw string hood for covering the head and drawing tight against a breathing mask. To prevent contamination from other openings, the coverall includes attached boots with elastic at the ankle and sleeves with elastic at the wrists. 
     In another embodiment, and to provide for additional equipment, the coverall includes air line loops attached on top of shoulders, dosimeter tabs on the left and right front chest, approximately 11″ down from top of the shoulder, and dosimeter tabs on the left and right front waist, approximately 26″ from top of shoulder for the average size garment, with actual placement adjusted for garment size. The coverall further includes an approximately 4″ wide slit on the right front of the garment between the shoulder and breast, placed horizontally with a hook and loop closure fastened flap, an emergency bottle (e.g., SKA-PAK®) pouch (approximately 10″ tall, 8″ wide and 8″ deep) on left hip, a sealed opening with a 1″ diameter and a 4″ long sleeve for airline access on right hip, an approximately 4″ opening w with a hook and loop closure fastened flap positioned approximately 1″ from the front zipper and placed diagonally approximately 3-4″ from top of left shoulder, an approximately 7″ wide slit with an attached sewn-in pocket with a hook and loop closure on the right front hip, and two rear hip pockets (approximately 7″×7″) with openings at the top that do not include any closure means. 
     The tri-laminate fabric used in an embodiment eliminates the need for multiple layers and improves comfort by being thin and breathable (i.e., vapor permeable based on the microporous film). The inclusion of multiple features allow a single, universal coverall to be used in multiple applications in facilities such as nuclear plants, in both indoor and outdoor environments, thus simplifying the number of different coveralls that a facility needs to stock. The coverall also simplifies disposal requirements for the facility since all used coveralls can simply be incinerated for disposal. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a front view of a preferred embodiment of a coverall; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a rear view of a preferred embodiment of a coverall; and 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a detail of a tri-laminate fabric. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     One embodiment of a protective garment (hereinafter a “coverall”) for use in nuclear environments, is disclosed in  FIG. 1 , which illustrates a front view of the coverall  100 . The coverall  100  is constructed from a tri-laminate 30/30/30 water resistant fabric which can be fabricated in various colors. Preferred construction techniques include lock stitch/ultrasonically welded seams, although other methods, such as use of serged seams or a two-needle felled stitch with taped seams, are also contemplated. The coverall  100  includes a hood  102 , sleeves  112 , and legs  122  that are attached to the body portion of the coverall  100  and are accessed by a user through a front opening operated by a zipper  128 . The front of hood  102  has a draw string opening  104  for drawing the hood  102  tight against a breathing mask. To prevent contamination from other openings, the legs  122  of the coverall include attached boots  124  with elastic  126  at the ankle, and the sleeves  112  include elastic  116  at the wrists. The elastic  116  and  126  also help keep the coverall  100  in position on the user. 
     The coverall  100  can be produced in various standard sizes to accommodate variously-sized users. The lightweight tri-laminate fabric that is held in place on a user by elastic  116  and  126  and drawstring  104  allows freedom of movement for the wearer in order for the wearer to complete their assigned task in the hazardous nuclear environment. The breathable nature of the tri-laminate fabric provides improved comfort in comparison to other barriers such as PVC nuclear suits or combinations such as cotton coveralls and PVC outerwear. 
     To provide for radiation monitoring equipment, the coverall  100  includes air dosimeter tabs  114  on the left and right front chest, approximately 11″ (˜28 cm) down from top of the shoulder of an average size garment, and dosimeter tabs  115  on the left and right front waist, approximately 26″ (˜66 cm) from the top of shoulder of the average size garment. The actual placement of the dosimeter tabs  114  and  115  on the front of coverall  100  should be adjusted for garment size, with placements proportionately closer to the shoulder for smaller sized and further away for larger sizes. 
     In addition to zipper  128 , user access to the inside of the garment is provided by openings or slits  108  and  110 . Slit  108  is approximately 4″ (˜10 cm) wide located on the right front of the garment between the shoulder and breast, placed horizontally with a hook and loop closure fastened flap. Slit  110  provides an approximately 4″ (˜10 cm) opening with a hook and loop closure fastened flap positioned approximately 1″ (˜2.5 cm) from the front zipper and placed diagonally approximately 3-4″ (˜7.5-10 cm) from top of left shoulder. Closing the flaps on slits  108  and  110  will allow the garment to be splashed. Slits  108  and/or  110  can be used in a variety of ways by a user, including but not limited to providing sampling access for user-carried air sampling devices. 
     Coverall  100  includes numerous elements to provide for use with a variety of breathing apparatuses. For use with external air lines or hoses, coverall  100  includes air line loops  106  attached on top of the shoulders to secure an air line to the user. The air line can then be fed into the coverall through sealed opening  119  that is formed as a 1″ (˜2.5 cm) diameter, 4″ (˜10 cm) long sleeve designed for air line access. Opening  119  is preferably positioned on the right hip of the coverall  100 , but can be located in any suitable location. 
     The coverall  100  further includes an emergency bottle (e.g., SKA-PAK®) pouch  120  that is approximately 10″ (˜25 cm) tall, 8″ (˜20 cm) wide and 8″ (˜20 cm) deep), preferably on the left hip, as illustrated. In this manner, an emergency bottle with breathing air can be carried by the user in a manner that does not interfere with the user&#39;s mobility and does not require decontamination of the bottle for subsequent use. 
     The front of coverall  100  also preferably includes an approximately 7″ (˜17.8 cm) wide slit  118  with an attached sewn-in pocket with a hook and loop closure on the right front hip (although other locations are also anticipated). Slit  118  and its associated pocket allow for storage of small items that might be needed by a user (e.g., keys, gauges, rules, etc.), but frees the user&#39;s hands and protects the items from contamination if the items are not used. As illustrated in the rear view of coverall  100  in  FIG. 2 , two rear hip pockets  132  can also be provided for items the user may need to carry and access quickly. The approximately 7″×7″ (˜17.8 cm×17.8 cm) pockets  132  have openings at the top that do not include any closure means. These pockets  132  can be used in many ways, but preferably are used with disposable items that can be later incinerated, such as paper diagrams/instructions or wipes/shop-rags. 
       FIG. 2  also illustrates an expanded back portion  130  of coverall  100  to provide room inside the garment for a self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to be worn on the users back. By allowing the SCBA equipment to be worn inside the coverall  100 , the need to decontaminate the majority of the SCBA equipment (i.e., everything except for the exposed mask) can be eliminated. While illustrated in a particular configuration, numerous configurations (pleated, rectangular, cylindrical, etc.) for the expanded back portion  130  can be used without departing from the invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the tri-laminate 30/30/30 water resistant fabric  300  comprises 30 grams per square meter of spunbond polypropylene  302 , grams per square meter of microporous film  304  and 30 grams per square meter of spunbond polypropylene  306  that are laminated together to produce a breathable, water resistant fabric  300 . The microporous film  304  has openings sized to allow water vapor to pass through so as to increase wearer comfort, but which are sufficiently small to prevent the passage of liquid such as water. 
     The outer spunbond polypropylene layer  302  of the tri-laminate fabric  300  of the coverall  100  can be colored, dyed, or printed as required by the end-user. For example, various colors or other printed indicia can be used to indicate sizes so that users can quickly and easily select garments of the proper size. Similarly, workers on different teams or details can have garments of different colors so as to indicate the user&#39;s role. 
     An embodiment of a protective garment can comprise a body garment formed of barrier fabric. This body garment includes a main body, a pair of legs, a pair of arms, and a hood. The main body includes a front zipper opening that extends sufficiently down the front to allow a user to enter and exit the garment. The main body also has a plurality of dosimetry tabs on a front of the main body so that dosimetry badges or dosimeters can be attached thereto. More particularly, the tabs can be a pair of chest dosimetry tabs and a pair or waist dosimetry tabs. 
     To address various breathing air systems, the main body in this embodiment includes a sealed inlet opening for an air line, which can take the form of a longitudinally-extending tubular section of fabric having a diameter slightly greater than an air line hose diameter, an expanded portion containing a pouch sized for encompassing an emergency air bottle, and expanded section on the back or rear portion that is sized to encompass a user-worn self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) tank. 
     To address protection and fit, the pair of legs have attached boots and elastic at each ankle, the pair of arms have elastic at each wrist, and the hood includes a drawstring opening. 
     Variations on this embodiment include those wherein the barrier fabric is a breathable laminated fabric, and in particular wherein the breathable laminated fabric consists of an outer layer of spunbond polypropylene having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, a middle layer of microporous film having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, and an inner layer of spunbond polypropylene having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, wherein the outer, middle, and inner layers are laminated together to produce a breathable, water resistant barrier fabric. 
     Other variations on this embodiment include those having an air line loop on each shoulder of the main body, those with at least one slit opening between a shoulder and a chest dosimetry tab, and a flap with a hook and loop closure for covering the slit opening, which can be horizontal or diagonal. 
     Additional variations can include pockets, such as a sewn-in pocket including a flap with a hook and loop closure, the pocket being located a in a lower front portion of the main body, or a pair of open-top pockets formed in a lower rear portion of the main body. 
     Another embodiment of a protective garment can be a body garment formed of barrier fabric comprising a main body, a pair of legs, a pair of arms, and a hood. In this embodiment, the main body includes a front zipper opening sufficient for a user to enter and exit the garment, the pair of legs include attached boots and elastic at each ankle, the pair of arms includes elastic at each wrist, and the hood comprises a drawstring opening. For this embodiment, the barrier fabric consists of an outer layer of spunbond polypropylene having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, a middle layer of microporous film having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, and an inner layer of spunbond polypropylene having a weight of 30 grams per square meter, wherein the outer, middle, and inner layers are laminated together to produce a breathable, water resistant barrier fabric. 
     A variation of this embodiment includes breathing apparatus details, wherein the main body further includes an air line loop on each shoulder, a sealed inlet opening for an air line, which can be a longitudinally-extending tubular section of fabric having a diameter slightly greater than an air line hose diameter, an expanded portion containing a pouch sized for encompassing an emergency air bottle, and a rear expanded section sized to encompass a user-worn self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) tank. This variation can optionally include a pair of chest dosimetry tabs and a pair or waist dosimetry tabs on a front of the main body. It can also include a slit opening between a shoulder and a chest dosimetry tab, and a flap with a hook and loop closure for covering the slit opening, where the slit opening can be horizontal or diagonal. 
     Another variation of this embodiment includes pocket, which can take the form of a sewn-in pocket including a flap with a hook and loop closure, the pocket being located a in a lower front portion of the main body, or a pair of open-top pockets formed in a lower rear portion of the main body. 
     A protective garment for nuclear environments has been described. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed and that the examples and embodiments described herein are in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art of the present invention will recognize that other embodiments using the concepts described herein are also possible. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.