Toray Expands LIVMOA™ Protective Clothing Lineup by Launching Versions for High-Pressure Water Applications and Cleanrooms

Toray Industries, Inc.

Tokyo, Japan, January 13, 2020 – Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it will soon augment its LIVMOA™ range of single-use protective clothing, which is both user friendly and exceptionally comfortable. In January, it will bring out the LIVMOA™4000 for high-pressure water applications. February will see the company release an upgraded version of LIVMOA™ CL sterilized clothing for cleanrooms. The introductions will be in Japan, with the two new offerings becoming available overseas later.

LIVMOA™4000 is breathable and complies with the JIS Type 5 and 6 standards for chemical protective clothing. It employs a proprietary SMS (spunbond + meltblown + spunbond) nonwoven fabric. The clothing thus protects wearers from dust and can also withstand a water pressure of 1,000mm H2O (see note 1), which is hard to achieve with regular SMS fabric. The meltblown layer keeps dust and water out while delivering an air permeability of around 10 cc/cm2/sec. Toray is building a stable product supply system by manufacturing the fabric at its plant in Japan.

LIVMOA™4000 can be worn where water resistance is necessary, a good example being waste disposal sites (see note 2). Such locations are essentially off-limits to LIVMOA™2000 and 3000 clothing, which are also breathable. Participants in a testing program rated LIVMOA™ 4000 very highly for its exceptional comfort and soft fabric.

Toray upgraded LIVMOA™CL based on feedback from users at public research and academic institutions. This offering originally launched in 2019 under the supervision of the Research and Development Center for Cell Therapy of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation at Kobe. The company enhanced usability in several respects. It integrated the mask cover to improve wearability, optimized the hood opening for a better fit with goggles, and slimmed the sleeves and legs to improve mobility.

The company has expanded the LIVMOA™ series since bringing out the high-breathability LIVMOA™3000 in 2017 to cater to different work environments. The LIVMOA™5000, for example, has helped prevent recurrences of Ebola infections in the Republic of Guinea. Toray released the LIVMOA™CL for cleanrooms. The new LIVMOA™4000 and upgraded LIVMOA™CL make it possible for even more workplaces to take advantage of the safety and comfort of the LIVMOA™ series.

One priority of Project AP-G 2022, Toray’s medium-term management program, is to push ahead with the Life Innovation Business Expansion Project. That undertaking aims to help boost the quality of healthcare and reduce burdens on medical institutions, improve health and longevity, and enhance safety. The company will accelerate LIVMOA™ series development in Japan and overseas and drive further progress with protective clothing safety and comfort.