PERMEATION OF A MALATHION FORMULATION THROUGH BUTYL GLOVES

The factors that determined the permeation kinetics of a commercial ma lathion formulation (Prent) and its reconstituted cocktail of malathio n and its xylene-range fraction inert ingredients at Prent concentrati ons (Recon) were investigated for an unlined unsupported butyl industr ial type glove in an ASTM-type permeation cell with Liquid 2-propanol collection and subsequent analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrom etry. For both Prent and Recon, the steady-state permeation rate P-s c orrelated inversely with the logarithm of the breakthrough time t(b), as did logP(s) with logt(b). P-s, logP(s), P-s/t(1) and logP(s)/t(1) ( where t(1) is the lag time) versus the logarithm of the weight percent age of component divided by the total weight were linear too. After ac counting for mixture composition, the second strongest linear regressi on term was liquid molar volume, and the strongest third term was octa nol-water partition coefficient (log K-ow). Retention volumes, V-R(t(1 )) at t(1) and V-R(t(s1)) at the first observed time in the steady-sta te t(s1) of each chemical in Prent and Recon, were also similarly corr elated to the weight percentage and logK(ow),, or Snyder elution stren gth (E-o). At least three independent variables are necessary to accou nt for the permeation of this complex mixture. One factor accounts for composition, another for molecular size, and the third for partitioni ng behavior. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.