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December 11, 2003
Pacific Safety Products Position on Zylon® Use in Ballistic Panels
For Immediate Release - December 8, 2003
Kelowna, BC - The ballistic integrity of body armor manufactured using ZylonŽ ballistic material has recently come under scrutiny after the failure of one company's product in the field. This is obviously a concern for all law enforcement and security officers, and is an issue Pacific Safety Products Inc. (PSP) identified more than two years ago and has been proactive in addressing.
"The potential degradation of ZylonŽ when exposed to both high temperatures and humidity has been known to the body armor industry for some time, well before the current safety concerns. At PSP we have built all of our ZylonŽ products with this in mind, and always design panels with an adequate margin of safety to counter any potential degradation of the fibers. ZylonŽ panels manufactured by PSP also contain a desiccant to adsorb any ambient moisture contained within the ballistic panels, a patented pending use of the technology. The panels are also ultra-sonically welded into a non-breathable, waterproof nylon cover. This ensures panels are not exposed to environmental conditions that could lead to ZylonŽ fiber degradation," says Bradley Field, President and CEO of Pacific Safety Products Inc.
"In addition to paying close attention to how we design and manufacture armor containing ZylonŽ ballistic material, we initiated our ZylonŽ Integrity Program (ZIP) in 2001. Our ZIP program allows us to continuously test ballistic panels containing ZylonŽ that have been in use in varying conditions throughout the world. To date, we have not seen the performance of our ZylonŽ ballistic vests fall below expected performance standards" says Field.
"Like all body armor material, ZylonŽ has its limitations, and manufacturers of ballistic protection products need to understand these limitations," added Field. "To minimize these limitations, PSP combines other ballistic fibers with ZylonŽ in the majority of its ZylonŽ ballistic solutions. We feel this is the most effective use of ZylonŽ, however, there is a weight compromise when you do this. We feel that wearing a vest that weighs a few ounces more is a small price to pay for the increased level of safety that goes along with it."
The PSP ZylonŽ Integrity Program is also designed to educate the purchaser and users about the benefits and limitations of the material. Participation in the ZylonŽ Integrity Program is mandatory and may require the purchaser to provide PSP with vests from the field at pre-determined intervals for ballistics testing. If the performance level were to drop below mutually acceptable levels, the panel owner would be notified and corrective measures taken. No panels tested in this program have shown unacceptable variation from the specified performance level.
The US Department of Justice has recently announced an initiative to address the reliability of body armor, citing their concern that "[t]he men and women of law enforcement must be able to place their confidence in the equipment their agencies purchase." A position PSP strongly supports. PSP has always made this a key corporate value, and will continue to develop quality products that are thoroughly tested and monitored both in our ballistics lab and by independent certification agencies.
For more information, please contact:
Bradley Field
President and CEO
bfield@pacsafety.com
we bring everyday heroes home safely.
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