Introduction:
- Demonstration of efficacy,
- Claiming efficacy in a manner that does not invite legal challenge and,
- Maintaining efficacy over the lifetime of the textile and through generations of microbial challenges.
Antimicrobial Technologies in Textiles:
Whetherthe performance or technical fabric is ultimately used outdoors, indoors, or onthe body challenges such as microbial control, moisture management, odorcontrol, elasticity, and even softness are prevalent. These challenges offernew opportunities to wisely seek technologies to address those needs whetheryou are looking for a single or combination of features.
Thisdiscussion will address the considerations important in choosing the rightfinishes for your customers performance needs, i.e. durability, ease ofapplication, safety, and ultimate end-use performance requirements. Consumersneeds drive the product value chain and features of value make the margindifference for marketplace success.
What Are Microbes?
Microbes are the tiniest creatures not seen by the naked eye. They include a variety of micro-organisms like Bacteria, Fungi, Algae and viruses. Bacteria are uni-cellular organisms which grow very rapidly under warmth and moisture. Further, sub divisions in the bacteria family are Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus), Gram negative (E-Coli), spore bearing or non spore bearing type. Some specific types of bacteria are pathogenic and cause cross infection. Fungi, molds or mildew are complex organisms with slow growth rate. They stain the fabric and deteriorate the performance properties of the fabrics. Fungi are active at a pH level of 6.5. Algae are typical micro organisms which are either fungal or bacterial. Algae require continuous sources of water and sun light to grow and develop darker stains on the fabrics
The hospital and healthcare systems are challenged by the presence of microorganisms and the negative effects they cause. Deterioration, defacement and odors are all dramatic effects which occur from the microbial contamination of surfaces as varied as uniforms and medical non-woven fabrics to medical devices and hard surfaces i.e., walls, ceilings, and air duct systems. Most significantly, these surfaces can act as microbial harbors and transfer site (vectors), offering ideal environments for the proliferation and spread of microorganisms that are harmful to buildings, textiles, and humans. The ability to make microbial resistant surfaces in a healthcare environment has advantages in many applications.
In spite of the many precautions taken to prevent or reduce the transmission of harmful organisms in hospitals, such as hand-cleaning, housekeeping, and laundry protocols, the risk of cross contamination of surfaces and textiles to patients and staff is considerable. Any textile material and hard surface in a hospital environment is a potential carrier of infectious agents such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast. The only effective strategy for reducing such infections and the conditions for reservoirs of organisms where resistance is stimulated is to reduce the dose of microorganisms throughout the healthcare complex using safe persistent antimicrobial technologies to treat such surfaces and to maintain the highest standards of hygiene and use protocols for antibiotics.
Major Challenges:
The problems of allergy and asthma are steadily increasing. One of their major causes is the dust mite, which thrives in the bedding, carpets and furniture of every home. But, today, textile treatments are available. The result - a more comfortable home for those who suffer from these chronic sicknesses. Allergies and asthma seem to be an increasing phenomenon of our everyday lives. We all know at least one person who suffers from these chronic problems. In some parts of the world over 40% of the population shows allergy symptoms. India has been identified as one of the hot spots for asthma around the world. The explanation for this increase is mostly related to the fact that we now live cleaner lives in an air- conditioned world. We might not have to deal with serious diseases like smallpox or polio. Instead, we have a series of smaller complaints, which are perhaps related to our lifestyles. Asthma can be triggered because of a number of reasons. However, in the last few years, we have realised that the cause for a significant amount of allergies and asthma can be attributed to one creature the house dust mite. The World Health Organization has named asthma as one of the major health problems of the current period. The prevalence of dust mites is no unique phenomenon. They exist on every continent, in every country and in every house.
They include:
- Runny or stuffy nose, chronic rhinitis,
- Itchy and watery eyes,
- Sneezing,
- Asthma attacks,
- Wheezing coughs,
- Shortness of breath,
- Signs of allergy while making the bed,
- A general feeling of being unwell, without being extremely ill,
Antimicrobial Treatment:
By incorporating this type of finish into textiles and fabrics, wearers will be protected from microbiological attack. There are different kinds of antimicrobial finishes, appropriate for different applications and levels of protection. One major application of antimicrobial finish is in the medical field. Medical applications demand powerful bactericidal antimicrobials that will perform quickly to help maintain sterile environments. In case of institutional applications such as uniforms and hotel/ restaurant fabric, the antimicrobial would only be required to have a bacteriostatic effect to control stains and odour. Apparel and home textile applications such as active wear, bed linen, hosiery, underwear, carpeting, etc, will also use antimicrobial activity to control odour and staining.
One major application of antimicrobial finish is in the medical fieldto help maintain sterile environments.
Antimicrobial treatment for textile materials is necessary to fulfill the following objectives:
- To avoid cross infection by pathogenic micro organisms;
- To control the infestation by microbes;
- To arrest metabolism in microbes in order to reduce the formation odour; and
- To safeguard the textile products from staining, discolouration and quality deterioration.
It is neither possible nor desirable to remove all the dust mites from our environment. They are an important part of the ecosystem. However, it would be useful to eliminate them from the immediate surroundings of those suffering from asthma. This could be done by removing all possible homes for the mites, such as bedding and carpets. But this is a rather drastic measure. Just because a person suffers from an allergy, he/she does not have to sleep in a bare cell. Nowadays, there are treatments available for textiles and carpets, which create an inhospitable environment for the dust mite. This stops the dust mites from inhabiting these locations, thereby, keeping them relatively free of the allergens. The textile treatments used against dust mites have a long history of use as anti-fungal agents. There seems to be a relationship between fungal protection and the inhibition of dust mites. There are a number of theories, which talk about the exact nature of this relationship, but none has been clearly proven. However, it can be demonstrated that anti-bacterial treatments, which are not anti-fungal, have no effect on the dust mite. In addition, it is important to note that not all anti-fungal products have anti-dust mite properties.
Requirements for Antimicrobial Finish:
Textile materials in particular, the garments are more susceptible to wear and tear. It is important to take into
account the impact of stress strain, thermal and mechanical effects on the finished substrates.
The following requirements need to be satisfied to obtain maximum benefits out of the finish:
- Durability to washing, dry cleaning and hot pressing;
- Selective activity to undesirable microorganisms;
- Should not produce harmful effects to the manufacturer, user and the environment;
- Should comply with the statutory requirements of regulating agencies;
- Compatibility with the chemical processes;
- Easy method of application;
- No deterioration of fabric quality;
- Resistant to body fluids; and
- Resistant to disinfections/sterilization.
Antimicrobial Finishing Methodologies:
The antimicrobial agents can be applied to the textile substrates by exhaust, pad-dry-cure, coating, spray and foam techniques. The substances can also be applied by directly adding into the fibre spinning dope. It is claimed that the commercial agents can be applied online during the dyeing and finishing operations. Various methods for improving the durability of the finish include:
- Insolubilisation of the active substances in/on the fibre;
- Treating the fibre with resin, condensates or cross linking agents;
- Micro encapsulation of the antimicrobial agents with the fibre matrix;
- Coating the fibre surface;
- Chemical modification of the fibre by covalent bond formation; and
- Use of graft polymers, homo polymers and/or copolymerization on to the fibre.
Application of Antimicrobial in different sectors:
- Paints & Coatings
- Plastics
- Consumer Products
- Food & Beverage Processing
- Medical & Healthcare
- Restaurants & Loading
- Others
Percentage of Anti-microbial products application in various Industries
Benefits of Antimicrobial Textiles:
A wide range textile product is now available for the benefit of the consumer. Initially, the primary objective of the finish was to protect textiles from being affected by microbes particularly fungi. Uniforms, tents, defence textiles and technical textiles, such as, geotextiles have therefore all been finished using antimicrobial agents. Later, the home textiles, such as, curtains coverings, and bath mats came with antimicrobial finish.
The application of the finish is now extended to textiles used for outdoor, healthcare sector, sports and leisure. Novel technologies in antimicrobial finishing are successfully employed in non-woven sector especially in medical textiles. Textile fibres with built-in antimicrobial properties will also serve the purpose alone or in blends with other fibres. Bioactive fibre is a modified form of the finish which includes chemotherapeutics in their structure, i.e. synthetic drugs of bactericidal and fungicidal qualities. These fibres are not only used in medicine and health prophylaxis applications but also for manufacturing textile products of daily use and technical textiles. The field of application of the bioactive fibres includes sanitary materials, dressing materials, surgical threads, materials for filtration of gases and liquids, air conditioning and ventilation, constructional materials, special materials for food industry, pharmaceutical industry, footwear industry, clothing industry, automotive industry etc.
References:
1) www.aegismicrobeshield.com/
3) www.indiantextilejournal.com
6) The Freedonia Group
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