Developing a thermal extraction method for the quantification of dimethylformamide in protective clothing

During the production of polyurethane-based clothing - especially work gloves - the common solvent dimethylformamide (DMF) may remain in the product. If the materials are worn in direct contact to the skin, the wearer is exposed to the solvent. This contradicts the original purpose of protective clothing and, thus, the remaining DMF has to monitored. Solvent extraction is a cost-efficient solution but is associated with a limited sensitivity and the necessity to cut the material. Therefore, an accumulative sampling approach would be favourable. The present study describes a thermal extraction method to determine the DMF content in work gloves. The method features an enhanced sensitivity and can be extended to the analysis of whole work gloves. This avoids problems with representative sampling from very variable and inhomogeneous materials.