Correctly selected protective clothing should ______ the risk of pesticide exposure.

• A. Totally eliminate
• B. Have no effect
• C. Decrease
• D. Increase

Answer: (C)

Protective clothing acts as a barrier to dermal exposure and lowers the amount of pesticide that can contact and be absorbed by the skin. By covering skin and using materials that resist the specific chemical, it reduces the risk during handling, mixing, loading, and application. But no suit, gloves, or coverall can guarantee zero exposure. Pesticides can permeate fabrics over time, splash can reach skin through openings, and residues can transfer during removal. That’s why correct selection also means choosing fabric types appropriate for the chemical’s properties, ensuring complete coverage, using compatible gloves and footwear, and following proper donning, doffing, and decontamination procedures. So the intended effect of correctly chosen protective clothing is to decrease risk, not eliminate it.