The newest technical fabrics can withstand all kinds of threats, from infectious agents to human sweat.

From the editors of TUT (Technical Usage Textiles) magazine in Paris.

Textile finish keeps users smelling and feeling fresh

No stinky athletic gear here: HeiQ Materials AG, Swiss producer of silver composite additives and high-performance sustainable textile finishes, has developed Pure by HeiQ, a textile finish that helps users to be as active as they want to be while still feeling and smelling fresh.

Pure by HeiQ is the first ingredient brand in a line of biomimetic textile solutions from HeiQ that aims to apply nature’s own solutions to the textile world, using a patented silver composite technology with a minimum of active substances to achieve a strong and durable performance. The Oeko-Tex® approved products are appropriate for all garment types. Due to HeiQ’s process of treating textiles with silver through fiber integration or as a topical application, the odor-free effect remains for the lifetime of the garment.

The branding of the Pure product line extends HeiQ’s textile innovations from its advanced technologies already established in the medical device industry, and attempts to demonstrate the odor-free performance and other benefits of garment textiles to the end user without overloading consumers with technical data.

For more information, visit www.heiqmaterials.com.

Respiratory safety and high visibility

Fluorescent yellow respiratory masks from French personal protective equipment manufacturer Sperian Protection provide users with total respiratory protection—while offering the additional safety feature of greater visibility. The masks are available in the Sperian High Visibility 5000 Series and the Sperian High Visibility SuperOne range.

In addition to their reflective qualities, the premium High Visibility 5000 masks offer users many benefits: a nose bridge designed for individual adjustment, three mask sizes that adapt to any face, a soft seal with absorbent properties and one exhalation valve designed to enhance respiratory comfort. The two models (5221 and 5321) have two quick-release adjusting buckles and a full-face seal that ensures airtightness. Masks in this series also meet the resistance test to dolomite dust clogging while providing respiratory comfort and reducing wearer fatigue.

For users seeking protection at a more affordable price, the SuperOne range of masks includes a high-visibility version. The SuperOne masks, without the nose bridge, fit any shape of face and provide leak tightness as well as a good visual field. To avoid allergy risks, these respiratory masks utilize neither PVC nor latex or silicone.

For more information, visit www.sperianprotection.com/us/index.asp.

Reliable chemical and biological protection

The Tychem F2 suit from DuPont™ Personal Protection is constructed from a lightweight and supple yet durable material that provides reliable chemical and biological protection. Tychem garments are tested against a broad range of hazardous materials to determine permeation, which is critical for fabrics that are exposed to hazardous chemicals. The F2 garment offers protection with a type 3 suit (against chemical liquids under pressure), a type 3B (against infectious agents), a type 4 (against liquid aerosols), a type 5 (against chemical, solid air particles) and a type 6 (limited protection against liquid spray).

With two zippers, the one-piece garment allows the wearer to dress and undress easily and reduces the cross-contamination risk of medical staff. The suit allows attending staff to work efficiently, which is very critical in stressful and emergency situations. The elastic hood is designed to fit perfectly around the respiratory mask; larger elastic wrists, ankles and belts as well as set-in sleeves ensure tight fastening to protects at-risk body parts and provides an optimal, reinforced fit.

For more information, visit www2.dupont.com/Personal_Protection/en_US/index.html.

Shock absorbers for sports enthusiasts

Protective gear for athletic endeavors all too often detracts from the experience, especially if the gear is uncomfortable due to being rigid or heavy. Not so with P-Flex®, a composite protective shell from Pulsium of Voiron, France. P-Flex is a functional, multilayer material that spreads and absorbs impact energy while ensuring the user’s thermal comfort, made up of a self-reinforced polypropylene composite shell, PURE®, which is 100 percent recyclable and lightweight

P-Flex behaves as a ductile material, distributing the force of impact across underlayers that absorb shock energy. The underlayers are made up of visco-flexible cellular material. Shell material can be integrated into protective garments for activities like mountain biking, mountaineering activities and snowboarding, or into gear such as soccer shin pads and elbow and knee braces for in-line skating.

For more information, visit www.pulsium.com.