Summer Safety – Permethrin-Treated FR Clothing

June 18, 2018

It’s that time of year again! Between cookouts, pool parties, vacations, and other warm weather activities, people are spending more time outdoors. But for those whose jobs require them to work outside – electric utility, oil and gas, and other industry workers – it’s not all “fun in the sun” during the summer months. Don’t worry, just because you can’t avoid exposure to the elements – like harsh weather and harmful pests – doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself from them. In fact, as temperatures rise, so should your safety awareness.

Our summer safety blog series covers topics like thunderstorm safety and how to avoid heat stroke. In this post, we’re highlighting permethrin-treated FR clothing and why it should be worn to protect you from harmful insects while you work.

What is permethrin-treated FR clothing?

Insects come out in full force as the weather starts to heat up and unfortunately, this includes disease-carrying pests like ticks, mosquitoes, ants, midges, chiggers, and flies. Insect repellent prevents the spread of infectious diseases caused by these insects, but since using certain insect repellents – like DEET – on FR clothing is not recommended to use with FR clothing, Tyndale offers an exclusive line of FRMC® garments with durable Perimeter Insect Guard™ to help protect you against these disease-carrying insects.

Permethrin-treated FR clothing contains an insect repellent, specifically formulated to provide protection against biting insects without reducing the safety benefits and protection of FR clothing. Our line of garments with Perimeter Insect Guard bonds with fabric and last for 50+ launderings. The main differences between permethrin and other types of insect repellents, like DEET, is that permethrin is non-flammable and it’s applied directly onto clothing rather than your skin. According to TickEncounter.org, this application method has benefits over ordinary insect repellent, including:

Chemicals are not applied directly to the skin, which may help reduce chemical exposure and increase the duration of efficacy; and
Permethrin-treated clothing will last through multiple launderings, reducing the number of reapplications.¹

Why is it important to wear permethrin-treated FR?

While FR clothing is considered the “last line of defense” in the event of an arc flash or flash fire incident, insect repellent is often the “first line of defense” against ticks and other blood-feeding, disease-carrying insects. Permethrin prevents the spread of Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, West Nile Virus, and other infectious diseases caused by insects.

A big concern for outdoor workers are ticks; deer tick nymphs are responsible for transmitting Lyme disease. Nymphs are engorged larvae that molt over winter and emerge in May. In fact, most cases of Lyme disease are transmitted from May through July.² According to the CDC, typical symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, fatigue, and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.³

If you think it won’t happen to you – think again!

According to the New York Times, between 2004 and 2016, about 643,000 cases of 16 insect-borne illnesses were reported to the CDC – 27,000 a year in 2004, rising to 96,000 by 2016.⁴ Each year, approximately 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported by state health departments and the District of Columbia, according to the CDC⁵

Remember – wearing long pants and long sleeves is not enough to keep you safe – ticks are often hidden in leaf litter, and mostly latch on to shoes or socks, and then climb up your leg.⁶

How does permethrin-treated FR work?

When choosing an insect repellent, you’ll want one that not only repels, but kills ticks and mosquitoes. The active ingredient in permethrin kills ticks and mosquitoes that come in contact with treated clothing. Watch our video below to see Tyndale’s exclusive line of FRMC® garments with durable Perimeter Insect Guard™ in action:

Permethrin is tested safe per ASTM F1506, Electrical Arc and Flammability Test, and ASTM 1958F-1958M-05, Electrical Arc Exposure method using manikins F, Federal Test Method H191 method 5903, flame resistance of clothing and vertical burn.⁷

Interested in purchasing permethrin-treated FR? Shop retail now! Already in a Tyndale managed program and want to purchase or add permethrin-treated FR to your catalog? Download our permethrin-treated FR flyer to view available permethrin-treated garments and contact your National Account Executive if you have questions. Stay tuned for our next post in the summer safety series on thunderstorm safety.