One of the documented firefighter concerns is the possibility of toxic and dangerous chemicals remaining in gear after decontamination.1 As with all personal protective equipment (PPE), this concern applies to footwear. The contamination concern becomes particularly important when a department is deciding whether to purchase leather or rubber footwear for its members. Although the fire industry knows that leather footwear fits better and provides more stability underfoot, a major challenge is the long-held assumption that after working exposures, leather boots retain more chemicals than rubber boots.
To evaluate this premise technically, W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., conducted a series of laboratory tests on leather and rubber boot materials to determine residual levels of chemical contamination after completing decontamination procedures. Surprisingly, the results ran counter to the industry’s assumption. Although both leather and rubber are contaminated during fireground operations, our testing showed that after a simple wash, rubber retained higher levels of tested chemicals than leather did.
To design its testing protocol, Gore followed the same methodology used in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-commissioned study Non-Destructive Testing and Field Evaluation of Chemical Protective Clothing.2 This protocol allowed Gore to evaluate both gross (on the surface) and matrix (within the rubber or leather) levels of residual contamination for chemicals referred to in various NFPA standards.3 Gore focused on a range of chemicals that firefighters will likely encounter in the field, including carbon disulfide (CS2), tetrachloroethylene, isooctane (gasoline), acrylonitrile, dimethyl formamide (DMF), and diethyl amine.
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