Dow joins partners for Level 2 isolation gowns

For healthcare professionals battling the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation gowns are among the most used and needed personal protective equipment (PPE). In response to this critical need, Dow collaborated with nine key partners across a myriad of industries to develop and donate 100,000 isolation gowns to help frontline workers in Texas, Louisiana and Mexico.

 

The Dow team continues to develop PPE to help frontline workers, but this effort would not have been possible without its partner companies, each of whom readily stepped up to make this project a reality, according to  Michelle Boven, global marketing director for Health & Hygiene at Dow. “It’s also a testament to how quickly companies can innovate when a diverse team from different organizations across industries come together to achieve a common objective.”

 

The end-product, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) Level 2 gowns, required concepting, design, testing, package development and a supply chain. In this case, each collaborator brought their unique expertise to the table, all donating valuable time and resources to the project.

 

 

The gown is made with polyethylene nonwoven coated with a layer of polyethylene film made with resin donated by Dow. Fitesa manufactured the nonwoven material that provides tear resistance and soft touch while Cadillac Products Packaging Company provided extrusion coating of the film making it durable enough for AAMI Level 2 performance. 3M and Shurtape donated the tape to provide barrier performance on the gown sewn seams, while Mobility technology company, Magna International, Inc., - identified through Dow’s relationship with Volkswagen – provided resources to cut and sew the gowns. DuPont provided isolation gown design expertise. Landaal Packaging Systems has donated all the boxes to ship the gowns, and Plastixx FFS Technologies donated the bags for each gown to be packaged in for distribution.

 

The 100,000 AAMI Level 2 gowns will be distributed equally to government agencies in Mexico and in the states of Louisiana and Texas. The gowns conform with ASTM and ANSI standards and are labeled in compliance with FDA guidance on non-surgical apparel.

 

These isolation gowns are the latest action Dow has undertaken to help address the COVID-19 global pandemic crisis.