(B-69) A Compostable Isolation Gown to Reduce Hospital Derived Synthetic Waste Accumulation in Landfill

Introduction:: The ever-increasing accumulation of synthetic waste in landfill is a growing pollution and public health concern. In 2018, hospitals in the United States generated 6 million tons of waste, with 1.5 million tons being directly landfilled plastics including personal protective equipment (PPE).¹ Single-use, disposable PPE gowns constitute the greatest percentage of landfilled PPE items by weight and are overwhelmingly made from synthetic materials that do not degrade for hundreds of years. The most common and disposed of type of PPE gown are isolation gowns, which are used by healthcare workers attending patients under isolation precautions for especially dangerous or contagious infections. In isolation procedures, healthcare systems will on average dispose of 33 gowns per patient per day as municipal waste, contributing a substantial amount of solid waste to landfills.² Therefore, to alleviate the strain on landfills, a need exists for isolation gowns that do not contribute to the accumulation of synthetic waste. The approach taken to address this need was through creating a degradable textile from which to make an isolation gown. The prototype textile is a paper-based substrate with a compostable functional coating to grant the barrier properties necessary to prevent liquid penetration.


Materials and Methods:: Made from a variant of a commercially available paper and an industrially compostable coating, the lightweight, coated paper product was tested in accordance with the ASTM F3352 Standard Specification for Isolation Gowns Intended for Use in Healthcare Facilities.³ The test methods outlined in the ASTM F3352 standard include the AATCC 42 Impact Penetration Test and 127 Hydrostatic Pressure Test, as well as the ASTM D5034 Grab Test, D5733 Tear Test, and D1683 Seam Test.


Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: A gown’s performance when tested using the ASTM F3352 standard can be used to classify the gown according to its AAMI PB70 Level. The PB70 level is a numeric indicator that describes the barrier performance of a gown, where greater levels indicate greater protection. Currently used isolation gowns typically fall under Level 1 and Level 2 protection. The prototype textile, when tested in accordance with the ASTM F3352 standard, was found to grant Level 3 protection and exceed the physical strength requirements. Furthermore, compared to the most commonly used isolation gowns, the prototype textile provided greater barrier and physical properties at a similar weight. Due to these properties, the prototype textile has been identified as an excellent candidate for a material from which to create compostable isolation gowns. With the successful testing of the prototype, further steps are being taken towards pilot scale gown production and commercialization.


Acknowledgements (Optional): : The authors thank the Paper Surface Science Program and Process Development Center for access to their equipment and training as well as the Maine Technology Institute for funding.


References (Optional): : 1. 1. Jain, N. & LaBeaud MD, D. How Should US Health Care Lead Global Change in Plastic Waste Disposal. AMA J Ethics (2022).

2. 2. Saber, D. A., Howlett, B., Waterman, T. & de Tantillo, L. Solid waste and disposal processes for isolated patients with infectious disease. Online J Issues Nurs 23, 1–1 (2018).

3. 3. ASTM. Standard Specification for Isolation Gowns Intended for Use in Healthcare Facilities. doi:10.1520/F3352-19.