Ludwig Vinches

Université de Montréal | UdeM · Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

Background Thermophysiological comfort in a cold environment is mainly ensured by clothing. However, the thermal performance and protective abilities of textile fabrics may be sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. This paper evaluated the thermal insulation properties of three technical textile assemblies and determined the influence of en...

The dispersion and orientation of three different montmorillonite clay nanoparticles embedded in nitrile-based nanocomposites were examined in the current study. Maleic anhydride was grafted onto a nitrile structure for the purpose of enhancing compatibility, and the resulting nanocomposites were investigated. The grafting of maleic anhydride seeme...

The aim of the study is to investigate barrier properties of a nanocomposite material against organic solvents. Molecular transport phenomena of three alcohols, namely methanol, ethanol and isopropanol, through a nitrile rubber-based nanocomposite, are carried out in temperatures ranging from 23 to 70°C. For each configuration, mass transfer kineti...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of using a cooling vest during physical exercise (per-cooling) in humid and temperate conditions (≈22°C, ≈80% relative humidity) on perceptual and physiological responses (tissue oxygenation and heart rate). 20 physically active men performed twice a 30-min cycling exercise at 70% of their theoretica...

The severity of the hot and humid conditions to which miners are exposed increases as the depth of the work site increases. This can cause heat stress that can greatly affect the health and safety of workers. To resolve this, a cooling garment has been developed that uses an atmospheric discharge of liquid CO 2 to create a cool microclimate with an...

Introduction: Hyperthermia during exercise induces central and peripheral fatigue and impairs physical performance. To facilitate heat loss and optimize performance, athletes can hasten body cooling prior (pre-cooling) or during (per-cooling) exercise. However, it is unclear whether per-cooling effect is the same on ‘aerobic’ and ‘anaerobic’ types...

The present study focuses on the influence of layered silicate nanoparticles on barrier properties of a rubber/nanoclay nanocomposite (RCN). Most of the previous works deal with the importance of the surface chemistry of the nanoclay on the performance of the material. In this paper were rather investigated the effect of the processing conditions....

Hot and humid workplaces affect highly the efficacy of a worker’s body’s cooling mechanisms. Given that the heat transfer from the skin to the surroundings by convection and evaporation of sweat is limited, heat stress may occur, which in turn may increase the risk of serious health problems and work injuries. To assist the body in dissipating its...

A cooling garment for deep mine activities has been developed. It uses the atmospheric discharge of liquid CO2 to treat a constant airflow and create a cool microclimate with an average temperature of 12.5 (±0.4) ℃ under the garment, thus assisting the evaporating of the sweat and cooling the body. To evaluate its cooling efficiency, 19 male subjec...

Airborne nanoparticles represent a new danger in occupational health. Numerous theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted on the efficiency of filtering media used for respiratory protection, but few have focused on media used for skin protective equipment. Indeed, a significant proportion of airborne nanoparticles can end up on the s...

The influence of processing parameters on barrier properties of nanocomposite material was investigated in the present study. Elastomer nanocomposites consisting of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) latex and layered silicate nanoparticles were prepared by three techniques: Chemical dissolution, melt-mixing in an internal mixer and melt-mixing by extr...

This paper investigates the possibility of using the free expansion of gaseous CO2 in portable air-cooling systems. The cooling capacity of the gaseous CO2 free jet expansion was calculated using three different approaches and the results showed that the simplified calculations would give approximated cooling values with an 11.6% maximum error. The...

Research has proven that mechanical deformations (MD) caused by hand flexing affect the structure of disposable protective gloves. However, these studies do not consider the presence of a physiological solution such as sweat. The combination of mechanical constraints and sweat might modify the mechanical and physical properties of the protective gl...

In the field of dermal protection, the use of chemical protective clothing (CPC) (including coveralls) are considered as the last barrier against airborne engineered nanomaterials (ENM). In the majority of cases, type 5 CPC, used against solid particles (ISO 13982-1), perform well against ENM. But in a recent study, a penetration level (PL) of up t...

Mechanical and physical properties of the rubber material may be affected by swelling when brought into contact with solutions of engineered nanoparticles (ENP). As the rubber swells in the liquid carrier of the ENP, the polymeric chains of the network expand and the ENP can penetrate the structure being carried by the diffusion of the liquid. The...

Research has proven the importance of cooling garments in reducing heat stress, especially for workers in extreme environments. The currently available cooling capacity of these garments should be controlled for improving their efficiency and autonomy. In this study, we investigated the Hexoskin wearable biometric shirt’s capacity to monitor heart...

Diffusion phenomena encountered in mass transfer of liquids play an important role in many technological processes of polymer manufacturing and use. In addition and alongside the notable growth of nanoparticles use, particularly when in suspension in liquid solutions, it has become important to pay some attention to their interactions with polymeri...

Recent studies underline the potential health risks associated to the "nano" revolution, particularly for the workers who handle engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) that can be found in the formulation of several commercial products. Although many Health & Safety agencies recommend the use of protective gloves against chemicals, few studies have invest...

Workers exposed to hot and humid conditions suffer from heat stress that affects their concentration and can potentially lead to an increase in workplace accidents. To minimize heat stress, protective equipment may be worn, such as personal cooling garments. This paper presents and discusses the performances, advantages and disadvantages of existin...

Gold nanoparticles (nAu) are presently of great interest in research and industrial applications, because they can be easily and quickly synthesised and are chemically stable. A growing number of workers must handle these nanoparticles even though recent studies underline the potential health risks associated with their use. The current means of pr...

Parallel to the increased use of engineered nanoparticles (ENP) in the formulation of commercial products or in medicine, numerous health & safety agencies have recommended the application of the precautionary principle to handle ENP; namely, the recommendation to use protective gloves against chemicals. However, recent studies reveal the penetrati...

Recent articles underline the potential health risks associated to the "nano" revolution. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) are one of these engineered nanoparticles (ENP) that have been cautioned about their likely harmful effects on health. In occupational use, to handle ENP, many Health & Safety agencies have recommended the application of...

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) are found in numerous manufactured products. While a few studies have been carried out to measure the efficiency of chemical protective clothing and gloves against nanoparticles (NPs), they have generally not considered the conditions prevailing in occupational settings. This study was designed to evaluate the...

The nanotechnology field is a growing industry, particularly in Quebec: occupational exposure risks already exist and should increase exponentially. In recent years, work has been undertaken in Quebec to develop knowledge for improving the prevention of nanomaterial-related risks. In particular, a group of researchers, professionals and students in...

Manufactured nanoparticles (NPs), including titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nTiO2), now enter in the formulation of several commercial products. Some studies have been carried out to assess the resistance of protective gloves against NPs, they have generally not considered the conditions prevailing in occupational settings. This study was designed...

Elastomers used in protective gloves can be sensitive to the action of solvents used to disperse commercial solutions of nanoparticles. These effects may include the swelling of the polymer, leading to a modification of its mechanical and chemical properties. Modifications to the properties of the polymer will impact the protection provided by the...

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles enter in the composition of numerous manufactured products such as sunscreens or paints for example and their use seems today inescapable. Some of them are delivered in colloidal solutions to reduce aerolization risks. However, elastomers used in the manufacture of protective gloves may be sensitive to the acti...

Nanoparticle manufacture and use are in full expansion. The associated risks of occupational exposure raise large concerns due to their potential toxicity. Even if they stand as a last resort in the traditional occupational Health & Safety (H&S) risk management strategy, personal protective equipment (PPE) against nanoparticles are an absolute need...