Contaminants in and on the garments can weaken the fabric and make it unsafe to wear. You must now replace the turnout. Contamination on the garment may cause the reflective trim, hardware, vapor barrier or thermal liner to degrade, causing early replacement. Toxins trapped in the hydrocarbons within the fibers of turnout material increase the risk of absorption via the skin or inhalation. Turnouts saturated with hydrocarbons absorb rather than reflect heat.
Soiled turnouts can conduct electricity.
Soiled turnouts can ignite even though turnouts are made of flame retardant material, if they have enough hydrocarbons, grease, oils, etc. Reflective trim can be harder to see when it is dirty. No reproduction or duplication of any kind without written permission from Professional Industrial Services.