Comparative analysis of standards defining skin protection against Plant Protection Products: A need to reorient standardisation and clarify methods for assessing chemical resistance

The recently adopted ISO 18889:2019 and ISO 27065:2017 standards define the performance requirements for protective gloves and clothing that would be specifically suited to the handling of Plant Protection Products (PPP) in liquid form. These requirements differ from the requirements defined in the European Union for chemical protective gloves and clothing. The lack of published comparative data raises questions about their relevance for the protection of PPP users. A bibliographical study was conducted to lift any uncertainty about these new requirements. The bibliographical study gathered all of the elements necessary for evaluating the results produced by the test standards specifically developed to define the chemical resistance requirements for the gloves and clothing described by ISO 18889:2019 and ISO 27065:2017. The results of this evaluation have led to the recommendation to abolish ISO 18889:2019 and ISO 27065:2017. The results also made it possible to formulate several proposals to adjust the standard test methods used so far for evaluating the resistance of glove and clothing materials to liquid chemicals, and in particular to PPP. An additional experimental study is proposed to support the conclusions of this bibliographical study.