At the North Carolina FEDTEX 2024 Conference, the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Soldier Center warned that solutions containing PFAS are becoming less readily available because of regulatory and supply chain uncertainty. The DEVCOM Soldier Center stressed the urgent need for the personal protection industry to transition to non-PFAS alternatives to effectively address these issues.
As a direct consequence, in the USA and beyond, military and law enforcement agencies – as well as first-responder services – are increasingly seeking out equipment that doesn’t contain PFAS. But that’s easier said than done. Manufacturers of para-aramid solutions need to apply surface treatments, which typically is PFAS-based, to repel liquids, such as water and oils, because moisture and oil can negatively affect the ballistic performance of para-aramid fibers.
That brings us to the billion-dollar question for military and law enforcement agencies: does high-performance ballistic protection without PFAS exist?
With Dyneema®, the answer is yes.