All personal protective equipment (PPE) contaminated with poisonous hair from oak processionary moth (OPM) caterpillars should be thoroughly cleaned.

 

HOW DOES THE CLEANING OF THE PPE PRODUCTS WORK?

As described in our user manuals, EDELRID PPE products can be washed at a lukewarm temperature or 40°C. These temperatures will not affect the products from a safety, haptic or application-related perspective. We therefore provide our assurance in the user manuals that the products are still fully usable after being washed in this way.

However, the European Center for Allergy Research Foundation (ECARF) in Berlin recommends that clothing contaminated by the poisonous hairs of OPM caterpillars should be washed at a minimum temperature of 60°C.

Under consideration of this unique situation, further to the recommendations in our user manuals, we also advocate washing our products in water with a temperature of 65°C with or without neutral soap.

This has no negative effect on the products' safety-related parameters. However, their feel, appearance, or functionality can sometimes be impaired. With this in mind, the products should always be checked after being washed at a temperature of 65°C and prior to each use to ensure that they function properly, e.g. that buckles on harnesses are still adjustable.

The ability to disinfect EDELRID products by washing them at 65°C does not apply to products that are entirely or partly made from HMPE (e.g. Dyneema®).

The information in our user manuals in relation to drying and storing EDELRID products should also be observed.