ISO Releases New Standard of Protective Clothing ISO27065:2011

The new protective clothing ISO standard will help farmers and agricultural operators reduce the risks associated with the use of liquid pesticides.

Pesticides are widely used in the defense of pests, diseases, and weeds in agricultural production. If pesticide users do not wear appropriate protective clothing, the health risks of the pesticide users may be caused based on the toxicity and usage of the pesticide. The new ISO standard specifies special protection levels. The new standard requires pesticide manufacturers to indicate the corresponding level of protection requirements on the product label. Manufacturers are required to produce, test and sell protective clothing according to the specified degree of protection. Farmers and agricultural operators are required to purchase and use protective clothing according to the corresponding degree of protection prescribed by the pesticide manufacturer.

The new standard ISO 27065:2011, Protective Clothing - The protective clothing performance requirements of users of liquid pesticides emphasize the protection of farmers and agricultural practitioners during the pesticide use phase (ie, the stage where most users are contaminated by pesticides during work).

The standard stipulates the protective performance requirements for protective clothing materials, seams, and garments, and defines three levels of protective clothing, which are classified according to the penetration resistance of protective clothing against pesticides:

At the first level, the potential risk of pollution is relatively low. Level 1 protective clothing takes into account the impact of low drift injections on pesticide users, such as the use of tractor-injected pesticides.

At the second level, the potential risk of contamination is higher than the first level but not high enough to use waterproof material.

The third level, the potential risk of contamination requires the use of protective clothing made of waterproof material. This grade is suitable for providing protective clothing for environments with high contact (with pesticides), which requires the use of protective clothing that prevents liquid penetration/infiltration.

The standard will assist testing laboratories, fabric and garment manufacturers, pesticide manufacturers, and users in selecting protective clothing for preventing pesticide contamination and assisting regulatory agencies in testing protective clothing.