#haskell laboratory

Even after the introduction of nylon, DuPont continued to experiment with various polymer blends intended to make the fabric more comfortable and more durable. One particular issue raised by the new product was the question of dermatitis. New variants of nylon that emerged from DuPont’s labs during these decades were first tested on animals. If the product passed that test, it was then moved on to testing on paid human volunteers.

In this photo, small patches of nylon are being taped to women’s legs and arms at the Haskell Laboratory for Toxicology and Industrial Medicine near Newark, Delaware. The patches were left on for one week, then removed for ten days and again applied.