New Treatment to Fire-Proof Woollen Uniforms

Wednesday 17th of January 2007 06:06:39 PM

Many families often send warm woollen clothing such as socks and gloves to their loved ones that are serving in the military so that they know that they are warm and comfortable. The Agricultural Research Service has created a new wool treatment that makes any wool uniforms flame resistant. This new technology is particularly appealing to the Department of Defence, who is currently looking for more ways to make uniforms that are comfortable, easily washable and will not melt if set on fire as it can make any injuries worse when the melted beads of wool drip into open wounds. Wool does have some flame retardancy but the ministry of defence would like to improve on this for their uniforms. The Agricultural Research Service is looking for someone to license the new technological treatment. The current technologies that are available for fabrics including wool are considered not friendly to the environment because they use metal as well as other chemicals.

The new technology that was designed by ARS is designed to be used as a finish to any fabric; it can be added to yarn, any finished garments or fabric. The wool is added with a way to “bio-polish” the wool which makes the wool feel silky smooth. The ARS have been helping the military in a variety of ways for many years. The ARS has had a long tradition of protecting the army against another type of enemy: insect pests. DEET is an ARS product that was created in the 1950s and is still a widely used insect repellent.